Five wildfires continue out of control throughout Turkey, says minister

Turkey’s Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli announced on Saturday morning that four more forest fires had been taken under control, leaving five fires raging along the country’s Mediterranean coast.

In a series of tweets, Pakdemirli said several fires in Mersin, Antalya and Muğla provinces were taken under control. In a separate tweet, the minister shared an updated list of fires that broke out between July 28 and Aug. 1, to a total of 112.

Two of the remaining five fires out of control are in Antalya’s Manavgat and Gündoğmuş districts, while another three continue to rage in Muğla’s popular tourist spots of Marmaris, Köyceğiz and Milas, according to the minister.

28 Temmuz-1 Ağustos 2021 tarihleri arasında çıkan 112 orman yangınının 107’sini kontrol altına aldık.

Devam eden 5 yangını kontrol altına alma çalışmalarımız aralıksız devam ediyor. pic.twitter.com/BSMgzXL48K

— Dr. Bekir Pakdemirli (@bekirpakdemirli) August 1, 2021

Cooldown efforts continue in areas with fires under control, Pakdemirli said.

In Muğla, fires have reached residential areas in Bodrum, while the fire surrounded several homes. Residents have been rescued, daily BirGün reported.

Popular tourist town in Muğla, Bodrum, is also affected heavily by the fires, with authorities evacuating two neighbourhoods, with a total of 145 households.

Two firefighters were killed while another two were hospitalised in Antalya’s Manavgat district.

As the fires continue in southwestern Turkey, the eastern Tunceli province is also suffering from burning forests.

A fire broke out in the Hozat district on Saturday, BirGün reported. Police units have cut off people who wanted to go into the area to help firefighting efforts, including Tunceli’s mayor Fatih Maçoğlu and members of parliament from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP).

The group that gathered on the road leading into the area were told they could not enter due to ongoing military operations in the area.

“We have put out dozens of fires in this area. These were the people who showed up when you called for help before,” Mayor Mehmet Maçoğlu told police officers who cut them off. “These people probably have more experience in fighting these fighters that break out here than the units you’ve sent up.”

Dersim/Hozat'ta orman yangınlarına müdahale etmek için Hozat'a giden ve aralarında Dersim Belediye Başkanı F.Mehmet Maçoğlu, DEDEF genel Başkanı Ali Haydar Ben ve DKÖ'lerinde yer aldığı kitle Hozat girişinde engellendi.
Polis, kitleyi engellemek için özel arama noktası kurmuş. pic.twitter.com/sjCTc3tEGg

— Gazete Patika (@PatikaGazete) August 1, 2021

On Saturday, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu went in front of cameras to urge people to donate to an aid campaign related to forest fires, BirGün reported.

“We thank our sensible citizens. Our nation is generous. It will always put forth all the support it can,” Çavuşoğlu said, announcing a bank account opened by the Antalya governorate.

Saturday also saw President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visit the affected area in Marmaris, where he conducted an aerial inspection and later spoke to his supporters from atop a campaign bus. The president threw packs of tea into the crowd later in the evening, a gesture not well received by many on Turkish social media.

Erdoğan visits disaster area, throws packs of tea at wildfire survivors https://t.co/m3SrlNGsCv | ▪ Ahval News pic.twitter.com/mfPGfdpXFr

— Ahval (@ahval_en) August 1, 2021