Turkey struggles to control raging forest fires in Mugla and Antalya
Istanbul, July 29 (KUNA) -- Turkish fire brigades, supported by aircraft and helicopters, are intensifying their efforts to contain widespread forest fires that broke out in the southwestern part of the country. Strong winds and high temperatures have contributed to the spread of the blazes in the provinces of Mugla and Antalya, prompting precautionary measures that included the evacuation of homes and a hospital, as well as the closure of a major highway.
Turkish media quoted authorities stating that the fire initially started in an agricultural area in the Bakir neighborhood of Sidkemer town in Mugla province. The flames then spread to adjacent forested areas due to the wind, prompting authorities to reinforce firefighting operations and dispatch additional teams to the region to prevent the fire from reaching residential communities and vital facilities.
Fighting the blaze involves five aircraft, 12 helicopters, 35 water tankers, eight first-response vehicles, 22 water containers, 14 tractors, 44 service vehicles, and two ambulances, alongside 373 firefighters and forestry personnel. Ground and aerial operations continue to curb the spread of the fires.
Mugla province announced the precautionary evacuation of 43 homes and the relocation of 65 people to safe areas, emphasizing that the decision was taken to ensure public safety as the fires approached populated zones. As a precautionary measure, authorities closed the highway connecting Fethiye and Antalya to traffic due to thick smoke that severely reduced visibility, urging citizens to avoid the area and comply with instructions from relevant authorities.
In a simultaneous development, another fire broke out in the Ozumlu forest area in Kesh town, Antalya province. The Forestry Directorate and firefighting teams were immediately dispatched to the site upon receiving the report, though the cause of the fire remains unknown.
In the initial phase of combating the Kesh fire, six helicopters, three aircraft, 14 water tankers, five water trucks, and two first-response vehicles were deployed, along with 135 forestry personnel. Firefighting operations continue on both ground and air fronts amid winds that are aiding the spread of the flames.
These fires occur as Turkey faces a difficult summer season marked by increasing heatwaves and drought, conditions that annually lead to forest fires in several provinces bordering the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas. (End) T.A./H.M.F.
