Fires break out on same day in three provinces of Turkey

OSMANİYE / TRABZON

Fires broke out in three other provinces of Turkey on Oct. 10, following a wildfire that had started in the southern province of Hatay.

In the Andırın district of the southeastern province of Kahramanmaraş, it took the efforts of 120 personals who carried out a 13-hour-long operation to extinguish the wildfire that had broken out on its forestlands. According to local officials, some 35 hectares of land have burnt to ashes.

One of the places that had engulfed in the fire was the historical cemetery inside the forest, added the locals.

At the same hours, on Oct. 10 morning, another news of a fire in the Osmaniye, a neighboring province of Kahramanmaraş, was reported.

A fire brigade of 150 personnel struggled to bring the fire under control. It took 30 water tenders, three vehicles and a helicopter to put out the fire. “Ten hectares of the forest, two houses and their barns are completely burned,” reported local officials at around midnight.

Another news of fire came on the night of Oct. 10 from the opposite side of the country. Locals of the Akyazı neighborhood of the Black Sea province of Trabzon informed authorities of a fire that sparked in a forestland.

After continuous strenuous efforts, firefighters were able to successfully put off the forest fires by the dawn of Oct. 11.

Local security units in the three provinces are still investigating the causes of the fires.

Acknowledging the efforts of the firefighters, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli tweeted, “I congratulate all our heroes who have controlled the fires.”