Ongoing efforts persist to combat a severe wildfire in the western region of Türkiye, the country’s interior minister said Wednesday.
Ali Yerlikaya stated, “The efforts to fight the fire in Çanakkale continue uninterrupted.”
More than 2,600 firefighters and rescue workers, eight airplanes, 26 helicopters, 240 sprinkler trucks, 71 water tankers, and 328 vehicles and equipment have been dispatched to the scene, he added.
So far, 337 families and 1,251 individuals across nine villages in the affected region have been evacuated, he said.
The Çanakkale (Dardanelles) Strait was closed to north-south ship passage because of the fire that broke out earlier Tuesday and rapidly spread due to strong winds.
The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure has announced that vehicles utilizing the Malkara-Çanakkale Highway and the 1915 Çanakkale Bridge will be exempt from toll charges to support firefighting efforts.
The Ministry highlighted the closure of the Çanakkale-Çan road to traffic due to a forest fire near Kayadere Village in the Çanakkale city center, which has impacted visibility.
By Breaking News Turkey with AA
