New wildfires erupted along Turkey’s Mediterranean coast on Friday, prompting the government to declare two western provinces disaster zones.
Television footage captured dramatic scenes of flames and smoke engulfing areas close to high-rise apartment blocks in Antalya, a popular summer destination for both local and international tourists. As the inferno advanced, homes in the city centre and the outlying district of Aksu were evacuated, according to privately owned news agency DHA.
Firefighters battled intensely to control the blazes, hampered by strong winds that threatened to spread the fire further and forced the closure of a major coastal road. Further along the coastline, properties in the city of Manavgat also faced imminent danger.
Local residents with hoses and buckets rushed to assist firefighters as water-dropping helicopters and planes also battled the flames. Police water cannons and municipal water trucks were also enlisted in firefighting efforts.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Friday that Izmir and Bilecik provinces had been declared “disaster areas affecting public life,” one step down from the most serious level of emergency.
Between June 27 and July 24, residents from 120 neighborhoods nationwide were evacuated, Yerlikaya added, and more than 12,000 workers under the ministry’s authority, such as police and rescue staff, had fought the fires.
In a social media post, the minister said 311 homes had been destroyed or heavily damaged during the month-long blazes and 85 temporary housing units were set up across three western provinces for those made homeless.
Turkey has faced widespread outbreaks of forest fires since late June. Thirteen people have died, including 10 firefighters killed Thursday in a fire in Eskisehir, western Turkey.
Temperatures above seasonal norms have been exacerbated by strong winds and dry conditions, resulting in dozens of wildfires.
East of Antalya, fires broke out in Adana and Mersin on Friday. Elsewhere in the country, firefighters continued battling blazes in Eskisehir and nearby Karabuk that have been raging for several days.
