Istanbul, 18 August 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Wildfires across western Turkey, the worst so far this year, injured 21 people and forced around 4,000 residents to evacuate, the authorities said on Saturday.

Flares continued in five cities and provinces, including the country's third-largest city Izmir, state broadcaster TRT reported.

It showed images of a thick grey smoke over a forested land in Izmir's neighbouring Aegean province of Manisa.

Flames in Izmir, ongoing for two days, injured 21 people, Izmir Mayor Cemil Tugay announced on X. None are badly injured, he added.

The wounded, including six firefighters and one police officer, are currently receiving treatment, Tugay said.

There is no immediate threat of the wildfire in Izmir's Karsiyaka district to spread to residential centres, he added.

A total of 3,971 residents in four Western provinces, including Izmir, were evacuated to safety, the country's disaster authority separately announced on X on Saturday.

Late Friday in Izmir, flames from a wildfire reached an apartment complex and industrial area, causing panic, state broadcaster TRT reported.

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

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

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, making wildfires more likely across the country.

The authorities remain on alert until mid-September due to unexpected weather conditions.

Photo: MIA archive