Wildfires threaten Turkey’s fourth-largest city as hundreds evacuate

THEY ARE SPREADING RAPIDLY IN THE FORESTED MOUNTAINS SURROUNDING BURSA CITY

- Associated Press

Wildfires that have engulfed Turkey for weeks threatened the country’s fourth-largest city early Sunday, causing more than 1,700 people to flee their homes and leaving a firefighter dead.

Overnight fires in the forested mountains surrounding Bursa in northwest Turkey spread rapidly, tinting the night sky over the city’s eastern suburbs with a red glow. Dozens of severe wildfires have hit the country daily since late June, with the government declaring two western provinces, Izmir and Bilecik, disaster areas on Friday.