Türk İtfaiyecileri Gallipoli Savaş Alanını Alevlerden Korur

Firefighters in western Turkey are working hard to prevent a wildfire from reaching memorials and graves at the site of the World War I battle of Gallipoli, located on the western side of the Bosphorus south of Istanbul.

Local media images show gravestones covered in soot in a scorched field overlooking the Aegean Sea.

The flames reached Canterbury cemetery, where thousands of soldiers from New Zealand are buried.

Between April 1915 and January 1916, an Allied force attempted unsuccessfully to break out of a beachhead at Gallipoli and penetrate the Turkish frontlines.

Around 250,000 Turkish troops, 115,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers, and 25,000 Frenchmen lost their lives.

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The losses were especially profound among the Anzac forces of Australia and New Zealand.

Place of Pilgrimage for Australians and New Zealanders

Anzac Cove has become a place of pilgrimage for many people from Australia and New Zealand, with the battle commemorated annually at the site.

Officials reported that the Gallipoli fire, suspected to have been ignited by a spark from an overhead electricity line, was successfully contained by Friday noon.

Emergency crews in other parts of western Turkey continued their battle against the fires.

A fire threatened homes on the outskirts of Izmir, Turkey’s third-largest city, following a blaze that erupted on Thursday night.

Residents were evacuated as ash clouds drifted over from areas of burnt woodland.

Irfan Onal, the mayor of the Bayrakli region encompassing Izmir, urged residents via social media to evacuate their homes promptly as the fire in the Dogancay region moved closer to residential areas due to the wind.

In the Manisa province in the North West of Turkey, a fire has been raging for three days.

Turkey has mobilized numerous aircraft, thousands of firefighters, and volunteers to combat the flames.

Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli cautioned that high winds and temperatures could worsen the situation over the weekend, emphasizing the need for citizen support in this critical time.

Yumakli stated, “Our intervention capability and capacity are limited to a certain extent. It is imperative to have the support of our citizens to overcome this challenge. Therefore, I urge heightened sensitivity, especially during these three days.”

Earlier this week, a woman lost her life in a fire that destroyed dozens of homes north of Athens before being extinguished.

In June, a fire claimed the lives of 11 individuals in South East Turkey.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.