Türkiye’s firefighting aircraft drop over 55,000 tons of water

ANKARA

Türkiye’s firefighting planes and helicopters dropped 55,366 tons of water between Jan. 1 and Aug. 4, while the country’s aerial response fleet logged a combined 8,975 flight hours, according to the General Directorate of Forestry (OGM).

During the period, 3,263 fires were recorded across the country. Of these, 1,152 broke out in forests and 2,111 in non-forested areas.

Firefighting planes logged 1,940 hours across 2,836 sorties and dropped 9,803 tons of water. Helicopters flew 3,982 hours in 16,118 sorties and released 45,563 tons. Surveillance drones logged a further 3,053 hours.

Türkiye’s wildfire response fleet this year comprises 28 planes, 105 helicopters and 14 unmanned aerial vehicles, supported by 5,597 ground vehicles.

Nearly 28,000 personnel and more than 141,000 volunteers are involved in the round-the-clock operations, the OGM said.