Turkey wildfires: Izmir airport forced to close with flights cancelled and diverted

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🗞️ Driving the news: Massive wildfires in Turkey’s İzmir province have forced the temporary closure of Adnan Menderes Airport, grounding flights and prompting evacuations in villages and neighbourhoods on 29 and 30 June
• Strong winds fanned flames across Seferihisar, Menderes, Gaziemir, and Doganbey, with at least four villages and two urban districts evacuated as over 1,000 firefighting personnel, ground crews, and aircraft battled the blazes

🔭 The context: This outbreak comes amid an early and intense heatwave gripping southern Europe, with temperatures soaring above 40 °C in Turkey, France, Spain, and Italy
• In İzmir alone, authorities report nearly 1,500 wildfires since June began—many triggered by human negligence or malfunctioning power lines

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Such wildfire escalation illustrates the compound climate risks posed by a warming planet — especially heatwaves and drought
• These events overwhelm firefighting capacity, decimate biodiversity, threaten human health, and disrupt transport infrastructure
• The early arrival of this extreme heatwave underscores a shift in seasonal patterns due to climate change

⏭️ What's next: Firebreaks and aerial water-bombing efforts will continue as winds ease. Investigations are ongoing — one suspect was reportedly arrested for arson in İzmir
• European authorities are maintaining high fire-alert levels; health advisories and restrictions on outdoor activities may follow in affected regions over the coming week

💬 One quote: “A small act of negligence is enough to burn down an entire forest … Please, let us be extremely careful from now on.” — Dr. Cemil Tugay, Mayor of İzmir 

📈 One stat: Turkey has recorded nearly 1,500 wildfires since the start of June, including nine “major” fires in İzmir alone 

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