Wildfire in Greece Prompts Evacuation While Firefighters Tackle Blazes in Turkey and Syria

The fire near Odemis claimed two lives—a forestry worker who died Thursday trying to contain the flames, and an 81-year-old resident who succumbed to smoke in
Wildfire in Greece Prompts Evacuation While Firefighters Tackle Blazes in Turkey and Syria
A fire rages across a forest area in Cesme, near Izmir, Turkey, on July 3, 2025. Cengiz Malgir/Dia Photo via AP
|Updated:
0:00

ANKARA, Turkey—A new wildfire in Greece prompted evacuations in coastal areas south of Athens on Friday, as firefighters in neighboring Turkey remained locked in a battle to contain flames tearing through forested hillsides in the west of the country.

Wildfires that broke out in at least five locations across Turkey’s Aegean coastal province of İzmir—fueled by soaring temperatures, strong winds, and low humidity—have killed two people, forced the evacuation of tens of thousands, and damaged some 200 homes.