A large forest fire broke out in the vicinity of the Turkish city of Izmir on Friday afternoon. The fire reportedly started in the forest zone of Menemen County around 5pm local time, Turanews.kz reports.
Six planes and five helicopters have been deployed to fight the fire, according to local authorities. Additional rescue teams have also been sent from neighboring provinces. In total, about 50 units of ground equipment and hundreds of rescuers are involved in extinguishing the fire.
The fire is not the first forest fire in the province of Izmir this week. Hot weather has set in in the region, and authorities have warned of the risk of further fires.
The cause of the fire is not yet known. However, authorities believe that it may have been caused by a discarded cigarette.
