Fire Strikes In Turkey, 12,000 Officers Deployed To Block Fires Spreading Fast

Illustration of officers extinguishing fires. (Unsplash-Dominic Sostmann)

JAKARTA - A forest and land fire (karhutla) hit the Mediterranean coast of Turkey on Friday, July 25 at noon local time.

The DHA news agency, quoted from AP, reported that this incident occurred after two provinces in the western region of Turkey raised the status of the disaster zone.

Documentation circulating shows flames and smoke billowing into the sky near high-rise apartment buildings in the coastal area of Antalya City, a favorite destination for local and foreign tourists during the summer.

The fast-scattering forest and land fires also forced residents of settlements in the city center to the Aksu district on the outskirts to be evacuated.

Firefighters continued to struggle to extinguish the fire which spread rapidly due to strong winds.

Meanwhile, helicopters and water catchers were deployed to speed up the extinguishing. The affected residents helped with the hose and the bucket flushed the spreading fire.

Although a bit far away, the houses in the city of Manavgat along the coast have the potential to be played by the red rooster.

Earlier, Friday, July 25 morning, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the Government had set disaster zone status in Izmir and Bilecik Provinces. His status rose one level below the most serious emergency level.

Yerylikaya said that from June 27 to today, residents in 120 areas in Turkey have been evacuated due to forest and land fires

More than 12,000 joint officers under the authority of the ministry, such as police and rescue workers, have been deployed to deal with forest and land fires in Tukri.