Istanbul, 17 August 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Nearly 4,000 residents in Western Turkey were evacuated to safety as wildfires continue to burn in at least four cities and provinces, the country's disaster authority said on Saturday.

A total of 131 wildfires broke out on agricultural and forested land in cities, including Izmir, Aydın, Bolu, Mugla and Manisa over the past week, AFAD said on X.

In Turkey's third-largest city Izmir, flames from a wildfire reached an apartment complex and industrial area late Friday, causing panic, state broadcaster TRT reported.

Overnight, 17 residential homes were burned, 105 houses and 44 workplaces were evacuated in Izmir's Yamanlar neighbourhood Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumaklı told reporters in Izmir early on Saturday.

The fire in Izmir no longer threatened the residential centre by morning, Yumaklı said, adding teams, backed by 13 planes and helicopters, are working to contain the wildfire.

So far, the fire damaged 1,600 hectares of land in Izmir, the minister added.

The authorities remain on alert through mid-September due to unexpected weather conditions, he said.

Meanwhile six people were detained over suspected sabotage relating to the wildfires, two of them in Izmir and four in the north-western city of Bolu, Yumaklı added.

The cause of the blazes was not immediately clear.

Turkey has been struggling with a heatwave through the summer, causing wildfires across the country.

Wildfires are currently ongoing in at least six areas across Turkey.

Photo: MIA archive