Fire in Foça threatens residents

Hurriyet Daily News with wires

Foça Mayor Gökhan Demirağ told the Anatolia news agency that over 500 houses were evacuated as a precaution.

The wildfires broke out in an area between Bağarası and Kozbeyli villages in the morning. The fires also threatened a military base in the region, and soldiers were actively involved in the fight against the fires. İzmir Provincial Forestry Director İbrahim Çiftçi said they were trying to control the fires with the help of 33 fire trucks, seven planes, four helicopters and five fire fighting ground teams, but the heavy winds hampered the operation. He added that the number of teams would be increased if need be.

Foça was not the only area fighting forest fires. Doğan news agency reported Monday that 10 hectares of pine forest were destroyed in a fire over the weekend in Antalya’s Kaş district. With the efforts of three helicopters, three planes, 20 fire trucks and over 150 fire fighters, the wild fires were controlled in eight hours.