Forest fire breaks out in Turkey’s Muğla, neighborhood evacuated

MUĞLA

AA photo

A forest fire engulfed the Menteşe district of the Aegean province of Muğla on Sept. 6, as officials have put forward efforts to evacuate a local neighborhood nearby, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported.

The fire broke out in a forest in the Akbük neighborhood at around 2 p.m. and the flames shortly spread due to windy conditions.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.

Four amphibious aircraft, seven helicopters, 37 water sprinklers and two caterpillars belonging to the Muğla Regional Forestry Directorate were accompanied by a number of forest workers who have been battling the flames.

Health and gendarmerie units were also dispatched to the scene from the neighboring provinces.

Meanwhile, the gendarmerie and forest officials have also evacuated the Zeytinköy neighborhood, which houses 136 residences.

Around 20 houses in the neighborhood were damaged by the fire according to initial reports.

The same region has witnessed several forest fires over the past week, with the most recent one burning a total of eight hectares of forest land in the district.