Turkish firefighters continue wildfire battle in Muğla, Aydın

Turkish firefighters are still trying to contain three wildfires in southwestern Muğla and western Aydın province on day 13 of the blazes that have wreaked havoc on the Meditteranean and Aegean regions.

All but three blazes are under control as of Tuesday, Bianet news site reported, with heat and strong winds hampering efforts to put out the remaining fires.

Since July 28, some 270 forest fires have broken out across the country, killing eight people and forcing thousands to be evacuated from their homes, particularly in the coastal provinces of Antalya and Muğla.

"Firefighting efforts for three forest fires continue in our two provinces. These are the fires in Muğla's Köyceğiz and Milas and Aydın's Bozdoğan," Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Bekir Pakdemirli said during  a press conference on the latest situation on the blazes on Monday.

Pakdemirli also called on volunteers to join the firefighting efforts through an online application.

Over 50,000 hectares of land (1,500 square kilometres) has been destroyed in the country over the past week, according to officials, with more than 66,000 hectares of land alone burned down in the tourism hub of Muğla.

Officials are conducting damage assessment works in areas where the fires have been put out, Pakdemirli said, noting that 7,735 farmers, 180 villages, 26 districts and 9 provinces had been affected by the blazes.

"403 cattle, 4,452 small cattle, 7,827 bee hives, 29,516 poultry, 6,914 machinery, 2,976 tonnes of stored products and 2,167 agricultural structures’’ were damaged in the blazes, Pakdemirli said.