Fire in southwestern Turkey brought under control

MUĞLA

Firefighters battled a fire that consumed scrubland near the popular southwestern resort town of Bodrum on July 16.

Fanned by strong winds in the afternoon, the flames threatened residential areas in the Gündoğan neighborhood, 13 kilometers north of Bodrum’s city center.

Eleven water trucks, seven helicopters, six water tanks, two excavators and several firefighter squads were dispatched to the site with local residents also helping the squads.

After hours of intense efforts, the fire was brought under control in the evening. Forestland of three hectares burned up, Anadolu Agency reported.

Turkey has seen some 730 forest fires this year so far, with an increase of 45 compared with the same time period of 2018, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said on July 11.

“The total of the affected area [from fires] in 2018 was 1,525 hectares, whereas it is only 828 hectares in 2019,” he added.

Some 90 percent of the forest fires are caused by humans, and only 10 percent of them erupt naturally, according to statistical data of the General Directorate of Forestry.