Locals battle raging wildfires in popular Turkey holiday destination

Wildfires have been engulfing Turkey for weeks and early on Sunday (July 27) the country’s fourth-largest city came under threat causing hundreds of people to flee their homes.

Overnight fires in the forested mountains surrounding Bursa in northwest Turkey spread rapidly, bringing a red glow to the night sky over the city’s eastern suburbs.

Bursa governor’s office said in a statement Sunday that 1,765 people had been safely evacuated from villages to the northeast as more than 1,100 firefighters battled the flames.

The highway linking Bursa to the capital, Ankara, was closed as surrounding forests burned.