Forest fire erupts on historic Gallipoli peninsula
ÇANAKKALE
A forest fire broke out on the historic Gallipoli peninsula in the western Turkish province of Çanakkale on Sept. 15.The fire was reportedly ignited due to sparks from a welding machine during construction work at the memorial of Ağadere Ağır Mecruhin Hospital in Çanakkale’s Eceabat district.
The initial intervention against the fire in the village of Kilitbahir was conducted by Eceabat Forestry Directorate crews at 2:00 p.m. on Sept. 15.
Two helicopters from the neighboring western province of Balıkesir and two amphibians from the western provinces of İzmir and Muğla were also dispatched to the scene for air reinforcement.
The Dardanelles Strait was closed in both directions to marine traffic as firefighting continued and the helicopters and amphibians used the sea to gather water in order to quell the fire.
Local officials stated that strong winds made it particularly difficult to struggle against the fire, which erupted in an area that which hosts many Calabrian pine trees.
A large numbers of firefighters and 25 sprinklers struggled against the forest fire from the ground, in addition to the air support, and after couple of hours officials said the fire had been brought under control and cooling works were ongoing.
Recently a huge fire that reduced to ash a total of 61 buildings and 250 hectares of forest in the western province of Muğla was brought under control on Sept. 7
The fire broke out at noon of Sept. 6 in a forested area and spread to the Zeytinköy neighborhood in the Menteşe district of Muğla.
