On August 8th, local time, Turkish officials said that due to wildfires, Turkish authorities suspended shipping through the Dardanelles Strait and evacuated hundreds of people.
AFP, citing Turkish transport authorities, reported that due to a wildfire in northwestern Çanakkale province, which was rapidly spreading due to strong winds, Turkey had temporarily closed both shipping lanes in the Dardanelles Strait to facilitate firefighting operations.
Çanakkale provincial officials said more than a dozen aircraft, dozens of fire trucks, and heavy machinery were deployed to fight the fire.
Anadolu Agency reported that three villages in Çanakkale province were under evacuation orders, with fires destroying houses in one of them.
Turkey's Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Ibrahim Yumakli, said 72 people were evacuated from a public hospital and 57 from a nursing home; 24 people required hospitalization for smoke inhalation.
Turkish media broadcast footage showing firefighters battling the blaze being forced to abandon a fire truck on a forest road after it became engulfed in flames.
The Dardanelles, along with the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus, form the Turkish Straits. This strait is the only shipping route connecting the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea and is one of the world's busiest waterways. Official data shows that nearly 46,000 ships passed through the Dardanelles in 2024.
Due to persistent high temperatures, drought, and strong winds, wildfires have recently erupted in many parts of Turkey. According to AFP data, 14 people died in firefighting operations in western Turkey in July. Authorities have warned that the fire risk will persist until October.
