A massive forest fire in Turkey’s Mediterranean coastal city of Antalya has killed three people, the country’s agriculture and forestry minister said on July 29.
“The fire in Antalya’s Manavgat [district] is under control, but there is an ongoing fire in Akseki (district) which erupted last night, Bekir Pakdemirli told reporters in Antalya.
Pakdemirli said an 82-year-old man, who was left alone at home, died while evacuation efforts were underway in the Kepezbeleni village of Akseki. He urged locals to comply with warnings.
He said there are 10 people stranded in the Oymapınar Dam while some neighborhoods have been evacuated.
“Ambulances and AFAD (the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority) teams are on the way for our citizens in Oymapinar Dam. The road is open, they will try to evacuate them,” he said, adding that they do not face a life-threatening situation.
He said the efforts to bring 10 fires under control are continuing with a total of 1,832 personnel, three planes, 29 helicopters, and 458 water tenders.
Pakdemirli and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu examined the fire area, which started at four different spots in the Manavgat district on Wednesday and spread over a wide area.
“Our hope is that the fires both in Manavgat and in various parts of Turkey are brought under control and extinguished,” Çavuşoğlu said.
A massive fire erupted in two different locations in Manavgat district has destroyed dozens of hectares of forest cover and caused the evacuation of five settlements.
The cause of the fires in the Yeniköy and Side neighborhoods of the district is still unknown.
Turkey fights forest fires raging through country’s south
Turkey is battling wildfires which have broken out in 41 different areas recently, with 31 of them successfully brought under control so far.
The forest fires have erupted over the last few days in the southern provinces of Mersin, Osmaniye, Adana, Antalya, Kahramanmaraş.
The blazes also burst out in the southwestern province of Muğla and central provinces of Kırıkkale and Kayseri.
The county’s efforts to bring 10 ongoing fires under control are continuing as 1,832 personnel, three planes, 29 helicopters, and 458 water
tenders are joining the mission.
