Large-scale forest fire breaks out near ancient city on Aegean coast – World

[ad_1]

A forest fire broke out near the ancient city of Assos on Turkey’s Aegean coast on Wednesday. The ruins of Assos itself were also affected, according to initial information from Mesut Bayram, the mayor of the nearby town of Ayvacik, who later retracted his statement.

TASS,
AFP

June 26, 2024 22:25 , Updated: 22:34

photo: TASR/AP, Serkan Ozkunazli

Firefighters battle a fire on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Türkiye. June 18, 2024 illustrative image

Bayram initially said: “90% of the monuments of Athos have been burned.” He later corrected himself and said the flames had engulfed 90% of the vegetation, not the ruins.

In his initial statement, he said “six helicopters, two planes and 30 to 40 fire trucks” were used to put out the fire. According to him, firefighters “completely surrounded” the neighboring town of Behram, which had been partially evacuated by police. The mayor said the fire could have been caused by a smoldering cigarette butt or a glass bottle thrown on the road.

Assos is an ancient Greek port city founded in the 8th century BC and once favored by philosophers and scholars including Aristotle. It is located about 85 kilometers south of the Turkish city of Çanakkale, the capital of the province of the same name and a popular tourist destination.

One of the most famous monuments in Assos is the Temple of Athena, which was once one of the oldest Doric temples in Anatolia. Later, the Romans occupied the city and built a magnificent theater that could accommodate up to 4,000 spectators.