The fire is threatening the nearby Allied Land Command (LANDCOM) base. LANDCOM is charged with improving the effectiveness and reaction time of the alliance’s land forces that when needed could respond to an international crisis.
Right now, all resources are turned instead to the crisis caused by the fire, which is being investigated as a possible act of sabotage. There have been no injuries reported in early news reports coming out of the region, says The Daily Star.
According to CNN Turk, the fire is threatening a number of populated areas. The blazing inferno comes just days after a failed military coup.
CNN Turk is saying the fire broke out in the evening in a grassy area of Sahintepe Mevkii’nde in the Buca district. The windy military district drove the fire into a raging inferno that climbed the walls of a nearby nursing home, prompting local residents to rescue the elderly people.
The uncontrolled fire has spread into the military zone, and firetrucks and firefighters have been called in from neighboring areas to help in fighting the blaze. Additionally, three helicopters attached to the Regional Directorate of Forestry, one fire-fighting aircraft intervened where dozens of workers and eight sprinklers weren’t enough to douse the flames. Residents in homes in the area of the fire are being evacuated.
This is a breaking news story and more information will be reported as it comes out.
