Fires destroyed 1,594 hectares of forest in Turkey’s Izmir

Higher temperatures due to global warming have lengthened the season for fighting fires from five months to seven months

According to the 2008 statistics from Izmir's Regional Directorate of Forestry, the regions of Izmir and Manisa have lost a total of 1,774 hectares lost to fire, with 1,594 hectares in Izmir and 180 hectares in Manisa.

The authority said the majority of fires, 78 percent, were caused by carelessness and neglect, while 10 percent were started intentionally.

Among the instances of carelessness and neglect, which caused 97 of the 125 forest fires, 38 percent were started by cigarettes, 18 percent from herders, 5 percent by cleaning supplies, 3 percent in landfills, 3 percent from swidden fields, and 1 percent by hunters.

Other reasons were cited for causing 29 percent of the fires, including demonstrations, scout camps and fires from agricultural workers. In fires caused by neglect there was no evidence of connections to terrorism.

Of intentional fires, 12 percent were caused by acts of sabotage, while 1 percent were ignited to clear land for other purposes.

Antalya suffered the most losses due to fires this year, followed by Mersin, Canakkale and Izmir.

The Regional Directorate of Forestry told the TDN their staff of 1,034 workers, who prevented the fires from spreading, saved 8,000 hectares of land from being destroyed.