Maritime traffic was suspended for the second day in a row in the Dardanelles Strait in northwestern Turkey on Wednesday because of a forest fire that spread over 1,500 hectares, Turkey’s health minister said.
The strait has been closed in both directions to avoid endangering the eight planes and 26 helicopters that continue to deliver water, Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said.
“Today the situation is better than yesterday. (…) We were able to stop the progress of the fire” that has ravaged Canakkale province, he added.
Winds reached 70 km/h on Tuesday, making it difficult to control the fire. On Wednesday morning, however, the wind was calmer. But in the afternoon, the authorities fear renewed acceleration to 60 km/h.
A total of 1,251 residents from nine villages and a university campus in the area were evacuated, the provincial governor said. 83 people affected by the smoke were briefly hospitalized.
The flames devastated nine homes and a dozen barns, killing nearly 90 animals.
As a natural border between Europe and Asia, the Dardanelles Strait connects the Aegean Sea with the Sea of Marmara.
Canakkale Province is a popular tourist destination and home to the ancient ruins of Troy.
Turkey is trying to modernize its fire service after being hit by devastating fires on its south and west coasts in 2021.
The blazes have devastated more than 200,000 hectares of forest and killed at least nine people in 2021.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was then heavily criticized for his handling of the disaster.
The extent of the damage had drawn attention to environmental issues in Turkey and prompted the Turkish Parliament to ratify the Paris Climate Agreement.