Türkiye has brought nearly all of the 260 wildfires that erupted over the past three days under control, Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı said on Aug. 2, while warning that strong winds continue to pose a serious risk across coastal provinces.
According to Yumaklı, 258 of the 260 fires have been contained. Blazes in Alanya’s Tepe neighborhood in Antalya, Dilovası in the northwestern province of Kocaeli and Marmara Island in Balıkesir have been fully extinguished. Meanwhile, fires in İzmir’s Buca district, Balıkesir’s Susurluk district and Aydın’s Çine district have been largely brought under control. Fires in Gömeç, Balıkesir and the Aydıncık-Gülnar area of Mersin were also declared fully contained.
Firefighters continue cooling operations in affected areas. In Aydın’s Çine district, where the blaze began on July 30, five homes were damaged, 30 were evacuated as a precaution and livestock from four neighborhoods were relocated. Authorities have intensified aerial and ground operations to prevent flare-ups.
Officials said a separate wildfire on Marmara Island was caused by sparks from welding work in a residential garden. A suspect was detained as prosecutors launched an investigation.
Yumaklı said firefighters had battled extreme conditions, stressing that strong winds exceeding 60 kilometers per hour, forecast from Istanbul along the country’s coast, could both hamper firefighting efforts and increase the risk of new outbreaks.
