IZMIR: Firefighters battled a massive forest fire in the Turkish Aegean city of Izmir for a third day on Saturday, AFP reporters said, a day after hundreds of local people in nearby villages had to be evacuated. Firefighters said they had partially extinguished the flames that have threatened the port city for the past three days, although fires are still burning in nearby forests. In the northern suburb of Ornekkoy, AFP journalists saw the charred remains of several buildings and vehicles in an industrial zone, while gray smoke rose into the sky. “We don’t know what to do. Our workplace is in the middle of a fire. We have lost our livelihood,” said 48-year-old Hanife Erbil, who makes a living collecting paper and plastic waste. The pine trees that once crowned the surrounding hills were also burned. “It was such a beautiful route, it smelled like pine trees everywhere. It makes me want to cry,” said taxi driver Ayhan. The smell of smoke hung over the city, Turkey’s third most populous. Firefighters from other Turkish cities were sent as reinforcements and the army was mobilized. “Everyone is working hard. I’m on my 36th hour of duty. You can say the fire is partially under control,” said Izmir firefighter Arjin Erol.
