Turkish firefighters and specialized services have taken control of almost all forest fires raging in the country over the past week. This was announced on Tuesday by the press service of the administration of the President of Turkey on Twitter.
“Of the 154 forest fires that have occurred in our country over the past six days, our country has taken control of 146 as a result of mobilization efforts,” the administration said in a statement. These data are provided by the authorities as of 15:30 on August 3.
Despite the successful localization of most outbreaks, fires still continue near Marmaris and Bodrum in the province of Mugla, in the forests of Manavgat and Alanya in the province of Antalya and the province of Adana. However, there is no danger for residential areas and tourist facilities now. Thousands of hectares of forest were burned.
In turn, on Tuesday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan thanked Russian leader Vladimir Putin and the leaders of some other countries for their support and assistance to the republic in fighting forest fires. Three Russian Be-200 amphibious aircraft, which Turkey leases from the Russian Federation, and pilots were involved in firefighting activities.
Six days ago, powerful forest fires broke out in the republic. They covered a number of areas of the coast where the resorts are located, including in the provinces of Antalya and Mugla. It is reported that two hotels were evacuated, as well as several hundred residential buildings in the coastal zone. Firefighters are still trying to cope with the disaster in some areas, but the danger to the settlements is almost gone. According to the Turkish Emergency Management Agency, the number of victims of the disaster reached eight, more than 850 people were injured.