Wildfires threaten Turkey's fourth-largest city as locals evacuate

Fames scorched 3,000 hectares around city of Bursa

A wildfire rages across a forested area near Cavuslar village, in Karabuk district, northwest Turkey, on July 23. © AP

ISTANBUL (AP) -- Wildfires that have engulfed Turkey for weeks threatened the country's fourth-largest city early Sunday, causing more than 1,500 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.

Bursa governor's office said in a statement Sunday that 1,765 people had been safely evacuated from villages to the northeast as more than 1,100 firefighters battled the flames. The highway linking Bursa to the capital, Ankara, was closed as surrounding forests burned.