Two elderly people died when fires ravaged villages and forestland in the western part of Turkey, Turkish press reported Tuesday. High temperatures and dry winds fanned flames that destroyed around 1,500 hectares of forest and spread to five villages that had to be evacuated, the Anatolia news agency said.
The elderly couple died Monday when the flames spread to their small village of Sarifakilar, where ten homes were destroyed. They had panicked and failed to be evacuated with other residents, regional governor Bekir Kaya told Anatolia.
Firefighters, using planes and helicopters, were able to put out the flames by Tuesday. The extremely hot weather broke records in the western city of Izmir, where temperatures reached 43 degrees Celsius on Monday. (Albawaba.com)
