3 yıl önce

Volunteers, governments support Turkey in battle against wildfires

Wildfires that have engulfed south and southwest Turkey since July 28 are believed to be the worst to hit the country in living memory.

AP

A woman looks toward a wildfire in Bayir village in Milas, Mugla in southwest Turkey on August 5, 2021.

Support continues to flow in from a number of countries as Turkey battles wildfires that broke out last week on its southern and southwestern coasts, fueled by a summer heatwave, low humidity and strong winds.

The fires, described as Turkey’s worst in living memory, have killed at least eight people since they started on July 28.

Azerbaijan’s deputy minister of emergency situations Etibar Mirzayev visited Turkey’s Mugla province along with a team of 350 people, technical equipment, 53 vehicles, a helicopter, a support team of 11 personnel, two water tanks and a firefighting plane.

Croatia sent a firefighting plane and Iran supported extinguishing efforts with a firefighting plane and two helicopters. Spain also sent a team of 27 people and two firefighting planes and Qatar provided a team of 66 people.

AP

People watch a wildfire near Akcayaka village in Milas, Mugla in southwest Turkey on August 5, 2021.

Russia supported Turkey with five firefighting planes, three helicopters and two water tanks.

Ukraine also sent three firefighting planes, a water tank and four helicopters.

A total of 21 personnel and seven vehicles from the Forestry Department and Civil Defense Organization of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) arrived in Antalya on Wednesday.

According to a statement from the Civil Defense Organization in the TRNC, the team reached Alanya district and fought the fires in the Gazipasa region.

AP

A man wearing a gas mask clears debris in a burnt out forest in Semir village, near Manavgat, Antalya, Turkey on August 3, 2021.

Volunteers joining efforts

Hundreds of volunteers have joined efforts to contain the blazes.

“Instead of sitting at home and watching videos of the fires on social media, I wanted to be of use,” 41-year-old actor Tevfik Erman Kutlu told the Associated Press news agency.

He and five friends drove 725 kilometres (450 miles) to the coastal resort of Marmaris to lend a helping hand to combat the blazes.

“At first we were 15 volunteers,” said Nuriye Caglar, a 59-year-old pensioner from Marmaris volunteering in Turgut, Mugla province.

“I don’t know how many we are now. Forty or 50?”

Mehmet Kara, a 36-year-old tourism agent from Istanbul said: “There was an unbelievable effort, sacrifice up there by our friends. We fought the fires all together, we cooperated.”

“We had people who were burned, who were poisoned. We saw all of this as fires raged and we did what we had to do. Now, the support teams have arrived and they’re doing what’s necessary. As you can see, our friends are fighting tooth and nail,” said Kara, who drove with Kutlu from Istanbul.

Turkey has contained a total of 180 wildfires in the last nine days, the country’s agriculture and forestry minister said on Thursday.

The wildfires erupted in 38 of the country's 81 provinces, Bekir Pakdemirli, the forestry minister, said on Twitter, adding efforts are underway to put out the remaining 12 blazes in six provinces – Adana, Antalya, Aydin, Denizli, Isparta and Mugla.