Great Forest Fires In Turkey Mostly Resolved

ILLUSTRATION/ANTARA

JAKARTA - Firefighters in Turkey are struggling to contain five wildfires, including those in the coastal resort towns of Manavgat and Marmaris.

However, according to authorities, most of the dozens of wildfires in the past five days have been extinguished.

Triggered by scorching heat and wind, fires are still raging in Manavgat in the south and Marmaris in the west, Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said.

Launching Antara, Sunday, August 1, firefighters managed to contain the blaze that broke out on Saturday, July 31, at the popular resort of Bodrum on the Aegean coast, which prompted the evacuation of residents in several residential areas and hotels, Pakdemirli said.

About 107 of the 112 fires that broke out in the past five days had been extinguished by Sunday morning, according to Ministry of Forestry data.

Since Wednesday six people have died from fires in southern and western Turkey, and thousands have been evacuated from their homes.

Support teams from Russia, Ukraine, Iran, and Azerbaijan have been deployed to assist local firefighters.

In neighboring Greece, authorities warned the public not to do non-essential work and travel on Friday as temperatures hit 40 degrees Celsius in Athens. The ancient Acropolis, the most visited monument, was forced to close briefly.

On the Italian island of Sicily, firefighters said on Saturday, July 31 they were struggling to keep out the second day of bushfires that reached the city of Catania, forcing people to flee their homes and the local airport being temporarily closed.