Balıkesir and Malatya wildfires under control

MALATYA/BALIKESİR

Wildfires that broke out in the northwestern province of Balıkesir and the eastern province of Malatya were brought under control following the intervention of firefighting crews, authorities said on Aug. 5.

Teams from the Regional Forestry Directorate were dispatched to the Manyas district of Balıkesir after a fire that started in open land spread to a nearby forested area. The blaze was contained through the efforts of aerial and ground crews.

Meanwhile in Malatya’s Pütürge district, emergency teams including ambulances, gendarmerie units, Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) personnel and firefighters were sent to the area after a separate fire was reported.

Cooling operations continued at both locations as the causes of the fires remained unclear.

In a post on X, Malatya Governor Seddar Yavuz said teams had responded rapidly to the blaze.

A total of 55 personnel from AFAD, the Malatya Municipality Fire Department, the Forestry Directorate and the gendarmerie were deployed to the fire area to support response efforts, he added.