Raging Wildfire in Türkiye Shuts Down Key Çanakkale Highway

A large forest fire that began on July 15 in Tekirdağ’s Şarköy district has now spread into Çanakkale’s Gelibolu region and remains uncontrolled as it enters its third day. Authorities shut down the Çanakkale‑Malkara Highway amid heavy smoke and poor visibility to safeguard motorists, but fierce winds, gusting up to 46 km/h, continue to drive the flames into new areas.

The fire ignited around 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday near the Şenköy neighborhood and quickly jumped into the surrounding pine forests and farmland. With temperatures soaring to 40°C and humidity levels below 20 percent, the tinder‑dry conditions allowed the fire to advance at an alarming pace. Steep, rugged terrain and dense undergrowth have carried the flames toward Gelibolu, where smoke plumes have been visible from the Dardanelles Strait. More than 684 personnel, including Forestry Directorate crews, AFAD teams, local fire departments, gendarmerie commandos, and riot police, are fighting the fire on the ground. To support them, the Forestry General Directorate has deployed 13 fixed-wing aircraft, 19 helicopters, and six airplanes alongside 114 fire trucks and ten pieces of heavy machinery. At dawn on July 16, aerial operations resumed after a nighttime pause, villages in the fire’s path have been evacuated as a precaution. In Şarköy, residents of Şenköy, Kızılcaterzi, and Kocaali were relocated to temporary shelters, with some reporting damage to homes, barns, and agricultural equipment. Across the provincial border in Çanakkale’s Ayvacık district, the blaze has neared Tuzla and Naldöken villages, threatening livestock and even the courtyard of the historic Hüdavendigar Mosque, which was under restoration. Four people have been hospitalized for smoke inhalation but are in stable condition.

Coastal villages along the shoreline are also burning right now, adding to the scale of the disaster. In past cases, burned forest areas were quickly turned into construction sites, raising fears that similar plans might follow this time. However, reforestation is required by law, and citizens are urged to watch closely to ensure the land is properly restored. Meteorologists warn that Türkiye is under the grip of a severe heatwave, with temperatures 5–10°C above seasonal averages, coupled with low humidity and strong winds: conditions that mirror the extreme fire behavior seen in June’s İzmir wildfires, which forced over 50,000 residents to evacuate. Similar firestorms have challenged crews across Europe this summer, underscoring the region’s heightened vulnerability to climate‑driven extremes

Environmental groups like the Northern Forest Defense and Research Institute have long warned that infrastructure projects—power lines, wind farms, and quarries extending deep into the Northern Forests exacerbate fire risk and hamper emergency access. This fire lays bare those concerns: rough logging roads and construction tracks have become chokepoints for heavy machinery and tankers seeking to reach the flames.As the immediate crisis continues, attention is shifting toward the recovery phase. Many citizens recall how, after major wildfires, such as last summer’s devastating blaze in İzmir, vast stretches of scorched forestland were swiftly rezoned for commercial or residential development, often within just a few months. This happened despite clear legal obligations mandating reforestation. According to Article 169 of the Turkish Constitution, “new forests shall be grown in place of burned forests, and these areas cannot be used for purposes other than reforestation.” Similarly, Article 57 of Türkiye’s Forest Law No. 6831 obliges the General Directorate of Forestry to reforest areas damaged by fire or degradation, emphasizing that such lands must be restored with native species under official afforestation plans. With ash-blackened hillsides still smoldering, environmental watchdog groups are already mobilizing to closely monitor upcoming zoning decisions, vowing to hold officials accountable and ensure full compliance with the country's wildfire recovery laws.

Tekirdağ Metropolitan Mayor Candan Yüceer, speaking from the frontline in Şarköy, expressed deep concern over both the ongoing fire and the challenges ahead in the recovery process. “Our forests, our fields, our very breath are being tested by these flames,” she said, emphasizing the urgent need for national solidarity and expanded support. “We must all show greater attention and responsibility, everyone needs to shoulder this fight together.” Firefighters remain on high alert as gusty winds push the blaze across firebreaks. Cooling and mop-up operations will likely extend well beyond the initial firefight, but without a significant shift in weather conditions, containment could take several more days. For now, communities in Şarköy, Gelibolu, and along the coast brace for more smoke, ash, and the long road to recovery.