Türkiye contains 304 forest, rural fires in 4 days

ANKARA

Türkiye's Communications Directorate announced Monday that firefighting teams have responded to 306 forest and rural fires across the country over the past four days, successfully extinguishing 304 of them.

In a statement shared on its social media account, the directorate praised the teams for their swift and effective response, referring to them as the “heroes of the forest.”

"Our heroes of the forest have intervened in 306 forest and rural fires over the past four days. The teams, working tirelessly from both the air and the ground, have successfully extinguished 304 of these fires," the statement said.

Firefighters in Türkiye are battling to contain wildfires that continue to ravage several regions, with significant efforts focused on Izmir and Mugla provinces.

In Menderes district of Izmir, firefighters have been responding to a blaze that broke out in a forested area two days ago. The fire, which started in the Sasal neighborhood, has required extensive firefighting efforts, with both air and ground teams deployed.

Overnight, firefighters engaged in land operations, and as dawn broke, aerial support, including five aircraft and eight helicopters, was deployed to assist in extinguishing the flames.

The Izmir Forestry Regional Directorate has mobilized 18 water tenders and seven supply vehicles to combat the fire.

Fortunately, a decrease in wind intensity has made the fire more manageable.

Meanwhile, in Yatagan and Ula districts of Mugla province, firefighting teams are also managing blazes. Fires have emerged in the Yava neighborhood of Yatagan and the Karadere area in Ula. Here, air and land vehicles, including three helicopters equipped with night vision technology, have been deployed throughout the night. An amphibious aircraft from Azerbaijan is also assisting efforts to extinguish the fire in Ula, having dropped a total of 114 tons of water on the fire zone in 12 sorties.