Turkish Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli announced that ship traffic resumed today, Thursday, in one direction in the Turkish Dardanelles Strait, as firefighters managed to control a large fire in the Canakkale region in the northwest of the country. The strait, which links the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea to the north, is a major shipping route for goods including oil and grain. Over 150 ships had stopped at the northern and southern entrances of the Dardanelles on Wednesday evening to allow helicopters and planes to use the waters to extinguish the fire.
The minister told reporters, "We managed to control the fire before 48 hours passed. Our only consolation is that there were no casualties." He added, "Fire risk insurance efforts will continue with aerial means throughout the day," noting that ship traffic has resumed in one direction, though he did not specify which direction.
The shipping agency Tribeca stated that ships heading north will be allowed to cross after 08:00 GMT on Thursday. Significant efforts were made using helicopters and ground vehicles after dark on Wednesday to contain the fire, and ship traffic resumed for several hours before being halted again after midnight GMT.
More than 1,200 people were evacuated from 11 villages along the path of the fire that broke out in Canakkale province on Tuesday, which flared up due to high temperatures, drought, and strong winds. Authorities reported that about 90 people were injured, with the fire affecting approximately 11,861 acres, including forests and agricultural land. No fatalities have been reported. Footage in news coverage showed flames coming close to some evacuated homes, with smoke rising from hills visible from residential areas.
