'It's all gone' - Sheffield woman's fundraiser for friend who lost everything in wildfires

After over two weeks of devastation, Turkey reported this week it has been able to contain most of the 230 wildfires that have gripped wide swathes of the country following massive efforts by firefighters and heavy rain.

Now, hills and countryside across Turkey that were once covered in thick pine forest have been left in ruins. Countless homes and businesses have been destroyed, and thousands of locals and tourists were forced to flee.

Now, one Sheffield woman has launched a GoFundMe page to help support just one little piece of it.

Lynne Fellows, of Manor, is raising funds to support the recovery of her friend, Hassan H Karademir.

The businessman, who runs the Hisarönü Bungalov holiday bungalows in Marmaris, has reportedly lost everything in the blaze.

Lynne, who has been friends with the Turkish owner for 20 years, said: “He’s just the most genuinely nice man. He would do anything for anyone. He’s done so much to help tourists and ex-pats over the years.

"He built a piece of heaven. Everyone who went said what a wonderful place it was. He build it up from nothing, it was just a scrap of land before.

"And now it’s all gone. He’s just like so many others who have lost everything in the last two weeks. I think it’s just such a shame. It’s not had near enough coverage in this country but people have lost so much.

"I just wanted to do something and try to help just one person. He’s such a nice man.”

Since setting a donation page last week, Lynne has funded £540 in seven days.

For more information, visit Lynne’s GoFundMe page.

The eight bungalows at the getaway stood close to the town of Hisarönü in Marmaris.

The fundraiser comes after the United Nations published a report on Tuesday declaring climate change had become “code red for humanity” and warned of increasingly extreme heatwaves, droughts an flooding across the world.

UN secretary general Antonio Guterres said: “The alarm bells are deafening, and the evidence is irrefutable; greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel burning and deforestation are choking our planet and putting billions of people at immediate risk.”