Wildfires erupted on 8 July across three western Turkish provinces, starting in Balıkesir’s Sındırgı district before separate blazes ignited in Manisa’s Sarıgöl district and neighbouring areas of Uşak. Strong winds fanned the flames, allowing the Manisa fire to jump provincial borders and threaten rural settlements in Uşak. Turkey’s General Directorate of Forestry deployed extensive air and ground assets. In Balıkesir, 10 helicopters, three fixed-wing aircraft, 22 fire engines, seven water tenders and more than 140 personnel worked to contain the blaze in the Kürendere area. At nightfall, aerial sorties were suspended but ground crews continued building firebreaks. In the Manisa–Uşak sector, four helicopters, three aircraft and dozens of firefighting vehicles tackled flames in makilik scrubland. Authorities ordered preventive evacuations of 21 homes and a small livestock farm near Uşak’s Eşme district. A further 15 houses in Eşmetaş and five in Sandal were cleared as a precaution. No casualties had been reported as of late evening, but officials warned that shifting winds could complicate containment efforts. Investigations into the causes of the fires are under way while emergency services maintain overnight patrols to protect nearby villages and farmland.