Ankara, Turkey: Turkish authorities on Thursday began an investigation into the causes of wildfires in Turkey’s Mediterranean and southern Aegean regions, including two near the coastal city of Manavgat, which killed three people and burned homes. But more than 50 people were sent to the hospital.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir said Wednesday’s forest fire at Manavghat in Antalya province and strong winds and scorching temperatures were brought under control. pakdemirli Said. But another fire that broke out overnight and swept the Akseki district 50 kilometers (30 miles) to the north kept firefighters engaged.
Three people died in those fires, and authorities evacuated about 20 neighborhoods or villages.
The Antalya region is a popular holiday destination for tourists from Russia and other parts of Europe.
Fires also broke out in 16 other locations on Thursday, including the Ikmeler region, which is close to the resort of Marmaris, 320 kilometers (200 miles) west of Antalya, which put holiday homes and hotels at risk for some time. . Pakdemirli said a hotel at the Aegean beach resort of Guvarsinlik, near the city of Bodrum, had also been evacuated.
Marmaris Mayor Mehmet Okte said NTV Television said it could not rule out “sabotage” for the fire there, while Turkey’s presidential communications director Fahrettin Altun said “a comprehensive investigation was carried out … launched into the cause of the fire.”
“The responsible will have to account for the attacks against nature and the forests,” Altun said. Twitter.
Pakdemirli said there were a total of 53 forest fires in the country on Wednesday and Thursday, but most of them were brought under control. He said three planes, 38 helicopters and about 4,000 firefighters were deployed to douse the blaze.
Forest fires are common during the dry summer months in the Mediterranean and Aegean regions of Turkey, although some past wildfires have been blamed on arson or Kurdish militants.
The fire in Antalya included an 82-year-old man in the Kepezbeleni neighborhood of Akseki, where 80% of houses were burned down, the district’s governor, Volkan Hulur, told Anadolu.
Turkish government• Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, or AFAD, said that in addition to the three dead, at least 112 people were affected by the fire, including 58 people hospitalized, mostly due to smoking.
Authorities also rescued 10 people trapped in a restaurant near Akseki.
Pakdemirli said that more than 1,000 farm animals died in Manavghat, while 1,500 acres of agricultural land and 120 acres of agricultural glass houses were destroyed. He said that 10 patients in intensive care at the Government Hospital in Managat were shifted to other hospitals as a precautionary measure.
Patrizia Under, who was vacationing in the Ichmerler area, said she was taking a sea bath with friends when she saw a fire on a hillside behind a residential area, which engulfed the air with smoke. .
“We got out to sea and got in our car and left,” she said by telephone, as she waited for officers to allow people to return to their homes.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir said Wednesday’s forest fire at Manavghat in Antalya province and strong winds and scorching temperatures were brought under control. pakdemirli Said. But another fire that broke out overnight and swept the Akseki district 50 kilometers (30 miles) to the north kept firefighters engaged.
Three people died in those fires, and authorities evacuated about 20 neighborhoods or villages.
The Antalya region is a popular holiday destination for tourists from Russia and other parts of Europe.
Fires also broke out in 16 other locations on Thursday, including the Ikmeler region, which is close to the resort of Marmaris, 320 kilometers (200 miles) west of Antalya, which put holiday homes and hotels at risk for some time. . Pakdemirli said a hotel at the Aegean beach resort of Guvarsinlik, near the city of Bodrum, had also been evacuated.
Marmaris Mayor Mehmet Okte said NTV Television said it could not rule out “sabotage” for the fire there, while Turkey’s presidential communications director Fahrettin Altun said “a comprehensive investigation was carried out … launched into the cause of the fire.”
“The responsible will have to account for the attacks against nature and the forests,” Altun said. Twitter.
Pakdemirli said there were a total of 53 forest fires in the country on Wednesday and Thursday, but most of them were brought under control. He said three planes, 38 helicopters and about 4,000 firefighters were deployed to douse the blaze.
Forest fires are common during the dry summer months in the Mediterranean and Aegean regions of Turkey, although some past wildfires have been blamed on arson or Kurdish militants.
The fire in Antalya included an 82-year-old man in the Kepezbeleni neighborhood of Akseki, where 80% of houses were burned down, the district’s governor, Volkan Hulur, told Anadolu.
Turkish government• Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency, or AFAD, said that in addition to the three dead, at least 112 people were affected by the fire, including 58 people hospitalized, mostly due to smoking.
Authorities also rescued 10 people trapped in a restaurant near Akseki.
Pakdemirli said that more than 1,000 farm animals died in Manavghat, while 1,500 acres of agricultural land and 120 acres of agricultural glass houses were destroyed. He said that 10 patients in intensive care at the Government Hospital in Managat were shifted to other hospitals as a precautionary measure.
Patrizia Under, who was vacationing in the Ichmerler area, said she was taking a sea bath with friends when she saw a fire on a hillside behind a residential area, which engulfed the air with smoke. .
“We got out to sea and got in our car and left,” she said by telephone, as she waited for officers to allow people to return to their homes.
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