Around 1,200 people had to evacuate after a massive fire started in the Turkish province of Canakkale.

The fire has impacted approximately 1,500 hectares thus far.

“Maritime traffic from the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara has been suspended due to the ongoing forest fire in the Turkish northwestern province of Canakkale,” Reuters reports.

The city of Canakkale sits along the Dardanelles Strait, a strategic shipping route for vessels traveling between Europe and Asia.

Reuters reports:

The Dardanelles Strait, a narrow and historically significant passage connecting the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea, serves as a vital shipping route for vessels travelling between Europe and Asia.

According to Tribeca, 15 northbound and 19 southbound vessels were stranded on either side of the waterway. It said one of the northbound vessels and five of the southbound vessels are substantial in size, measuring over 200 meters (656 feet) in length.

The larger vessels will await passage until Wednesday morning, allowing them to navigate the strait in daylight. Smaller vessels were initially scheduled for passage on Tuesday, the agency said.

“Tugboats are prepared to intervene if the fire approaches the seafront, providing additional support to the ongoing firefighting operations,” the Transport Ministry said in a statement.

WATCH:

Hürriyet Daily News added:

Yumaklı reported no loss of life or serious injuries, citing that a total of nine houses in two villages were reduced to ashes.

According to preliminary estimates, about 800 of the 1,500 hectares of land are forested, local authorities said.

Improved weather conditions and reduced wind speed on Aug. 23 provided a more advantageous situation for firefighting efforts, Yumaklı said.

The minister also noted that the Çanakkale Strait was closed to traffic on both sides to allow firefighting planes to take water from the sea.

The fire, which began on Aug. 22 noon and continued throughout the night, posed challenges to the firefighting teams due to the speed of the winds reaching up to 70 kilometers per hour.

While the mainstream media will surely blame climate change for this fire, a little digging has revealed future plans for the Turkish tourist city.

A research article updated in 2022 says: “An Investigation on Çanakkale as a Smart Tourism City within the Scope of City Marketing”

From the document:

 

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