Firefighters were battling to bring forest fires under control in five Turkish provinces today, the forest minister said, although a blaze in the Izmir region, in western Turkeywhich erupted on Thursday has subsided somewhat and residential areas are no longer threatened.

OR fire in the Kordelio (Karsigiaka) area of ​​Izmir was caused by a fire started by three people who were having a picnic near a forest area, Forestry Minister Ibrahim Youmakli told reporters, adding that the authorities are close to identifying those people.

“The intensity of the fire has decreased, and there is no longer a danger to residential areas at this time,” he said Yumakli. The fire is burning inside a valley that is difficult to reach from land, he added.

The fire, fueled by strong winds, approached residential areas yesterday, Friday, destroying homes and businesses and prompting the evacuation of residents.

Sixteen houses and 30 workplaces in an industrial area were burned, its mayor said Smyrna Cemil Tugai in a post on the X platform, while the Ministry of Health reported yesterday that 78 people were affected by the fire.

Television footage showed helicopters and firefighting planes still dropping water on the flames as firefighters continued to try to bring the blaze under control.

Firefighters are also working to bring fires under control in the western provinces Aidiniou (Aydin) and Magnesia (Manisa), as well as in the northern provinces of Bolu and Karabuk, said Forestry Minister Yumakli.

The General Directorate of Forestry has warned of a high fire risk in 12 provinces in northern and western Turkey over the next ten days due to high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds.

The coastal areas of Turkey especially in recent years have been suffering from fires as summers are getting hotter and drier, a phenomenon that scientists link to climate change.