Wildfires force Turkey to close key waterway

The Dardanelles Strait has been temporarily shut to maritime traffic due to forest fires raging in north-western Turkey, the countrys transport ministry has said.

The major international waterway was shut as a precautionary measure as the blazes spread near the city of Canakkale where a number of residents were evacuated.

Turkish firefighters have been deployed to try to contain the fires. Specialist firefighting planes and helicopters are also in use.

The Dardanelles links the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. Together with the Bosporus Strait, it serves as a vital route for commercial shipping between Europe and Asia.

Nearly 46,000 vessels crossed the Dardanelles in 2024, according to official data.

Strong winds fanned the wildfires, helping them spread in hot dry weather, local officials said. Efforts to extinguish the blazes from "both the air and ground" were ongoing, Canakkales provincial governor - quoted in Turkiye Today - said on Friday.

Canakkales main airport is closed to passenger flights, but firefighting and search and rescue aircraft are still operating from there.

Hundreds of wildfires have broken out across Turkey this summer, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes.

In July, at least 10 forestry and rescue workers were killed while battling wildfires in the countrys central Eskisehir province.