Entry to forests in İzmir and Balıkesir banned amid fires across Turkey

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

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While the forest fires that broke out in the provinces of Antalya, Muğla, Adana, Osmaniye, Mersin, Kütahya and Aydın in the south are still ongoing, the Governor's Offices of Balıkesir in the Marmara Region and İzmir in the Aegean have temporarily forbidden entries to forests.

According to these two decisions aimed at preventing further forest fires, the citizens will not be allowed to enter all forests across the two cities, except for the picnic areas designated by the authorities.

In Aydın province in the Aegean, entries to the Dilek Peninsula Greater Menderes Delta National Park have also been forbidden.

Decision by Balıkesir Governor's Office

The ban in Balıkesir entered into force today (July 30) and it will continue until the end of October (October 31). The Governor's Office announced the decision by releasing a written statement yesterday.

Referring to the weather forecast of the Directorate of Meteorology, the Governor's Office has recalled that the air temperature will increase further. Considering that the fires to be caused by seasonal or human-induced reasons might increase depending on the extreme weather conditions in the upcoming days, the Office has decided to ban entries to forests.

Accordingly, from July 30 to October 31, 2021, citizens will not be allowed to enter the forests in Balıksir province. The same decision also foresees that citizens will not be allowed to have a barbeque, use a tea urn or make a fire in the designated areas in or near forestlands after 8 pm.

Decision by İzmir Governor's Office

İzmir Metropolitan Mayor Tunç Soyer has also announced that the İzmir Governor's Office has banned entries to forests in the Aegean province in an attempt to prevent fires. Making a statement on his social media account, Mayor Tunç Soyer has briefly said the following:

"It is with great sadness that I am following the fires razing through our hearts. Entries to forests in İzmir have been banned by the Governor's Office. Our all municipal teams are alert. If you see any suspicious activity, you can contact the security or us. Let's protect our forests together." (TP/SD)