Italy, Greece and Turkey have been ravaged for days by severe forest fires and tropical heat. People have lost all their possessions. Villages have been destroyed and houses completely burned down.
In Turkey, the death toll from the wildfires stands at nine, hundreds of people need to be evacuated.
Devastating Strike
The Apeldoorn Carmi van der Kolk sketches from her apartment in the Turkish village of Ilica how the forest fires are devastating. She had to leave earlier this week with her family.
“We had to flee for our lives,” she says. “It’s a big nightmare. I finally got some sleep last night.”
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She tells how the fire suddenly overtook them. “We were poolside when the sky suddenly turned pitch black. An inferno above our apartment. Very threatening to see. The flames shot from the mountains.”
Together with a family of friends from Apeldoorn, they did not hesitate for a moment. “We grabbed our passports and jumped in the car. Away from the fire.”
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Villages destroyed
The Apeldoorn families left in time and received help from an owner of a nearby resort. “Otherwise we would have had to sleep on the beach.” Their apartment was spared. “But a little further on, a village has been completely burned to the ground. 15 of the 45 houses have been completely destroyed. Those people have nothing left,” says Carmi.
The Apeldoorners want to give something back to the inhabitants. That’s why they started a campaign with which they already raised 2500 euros. “We have bought food in collaboration with a local restaurateur to distribute it to people who have nothing left. We also distribute crockery and bed linen.”
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Wedding shut down
There are fires all over Turkey. The 42-year-old Tamer Yukesel from Haarlem is staying with his wife and children in Alanya, on the coast. “I am here because of my niece’s wedding, who got married yesterday in a large holiday resort,” says the Haarlemmer by telephone from Turkey. “We came over especially for the wedding.”
Last night the party was with hundreds of guests. All outside because of corona. “But the party had to be shut down halfway through the evening,” Tamer says. “A few miles away, houses literally went up in flames. It didn’t feel right to continue partying. It’s very sad for my niece, but she also got applause. You just can’t party when something like this happens.”
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Danger not gone yet
The danger has not yet passed. “All day long, fire extinguishers fly through the mountains. The sky is dark and ash continuously descends,” says Tamer. “It is very sad for the country.”
The Apeldoorn Carmi also feels the threat in the air above her apartment. “Ashes fall all day long. And you can see that the sky is dark.” She does not want to return to the Netherlands. “I’d rather stay here to help the people. That help is desperately needed.”
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