Turkiye's forest fires spread to Bursa

ISTANBUL, July 27 (KUNA) -- Turkiye's wildfire crisis continued to escalate as new fires have broken out to reach Bursa, the country's fourth-largest city, forcing hundreds of residents to flee their homes.
Bursa Governor Erol Ayyildiz said in a statement on Sunday that 1,765 people had been safely evacuated from villages in the northeast of the country and that more than 1,100 firefighters were battling the blaze.
The highway between Bursa and the provincial capital Ankara was closed due to the surrounding forest fires Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yamukli said firefighters across the country had faced 76 separate fires on Saturday alone.
Thirteen people have died in the fires in recent weeks, including 10 rescue volunteers and forest workers who died on Wednesday in a fire in Eskiehir in western Turkiye.
Yamukli said the country's northwest was facing the greatest danger, including Karabuk, where wildfires have been raging since Tuesday.
The government declared two western provinces, Izmir and Bilecik, disaster zones on Friday. (end) ta.seo