Turkey fights to last major blaze inland from Bodrum / Photo: Murat Kocabas - AFP
Turkey fights to last major blaze inland from Bodrum
Hundreds of firefighters were battling strong winds to quench a wildfire in southwestern Turkey as other wind-fuelled blazes along its Mediterranean coast were brought under control.
On Thursday evening, Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said six fires were still raging but by Friday, five of them had been brought largely under control.
But with strong winds still affecting the region, authorities were on alert in case any reignited. On Thursday, Yumakli said firefighters had tackled 169 fires this week.
Of that number, only one was still raging in the Cine area, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) inland from the resort city of Bodrum.
There firefighters worked through the night, evacuating animals from four areas and by morning, nine helicopters, three firefighting planes, 42 fire engines and nine water tankers were battling the blaze, Anadolu news agency said.
"In Cine, our teams' interventions from the air and the ground will continue until the fire is completely brought under control," Yumakli said on X.
Evacuated residents said they were devastated.
"We've been reduced to ashes, nothing is left. My dog is gone, he was more precious to me than my own life," a distressed woman called Arzu Celep told Turkish media.
Others spoke of devastated orchards and olive groves.
"Everything we owned has gone up in flames. We took our animals uphill, if we'd stayed here, we'd have gone up in flames too," said another woman called Raziye Askin.
Environment Minister Murat Kurum said 65 structures had "sustained severe damage or been destroyed" in the fires, almost all in the southern Antalya and Mugla regions.
Media reports said the Mugla fire had razed 5,000 hectares (12,400 acres) of forestland.
Turkey, which experienced early wildfires in 2025 due to drought, had been largely spared until now thanks to heavy winter rains and snowfall that replenished groundwater and protected vegetation.
Authorities also closed access to forests in the most vulnerable areas at the beginning start of summer.
According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) website, there have been 64 fires in Turkey this year, which have ravaged 22,587 hectares (55,800 acres) of land.
F.McKenzie--EWJ
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