A wind-driven forest fire erupted in the Kaş district of the southern province of Antalya, drawing an aerial and ground response early on July 28, as Türkiye concurrently extended firefighting support to France.
The blaze broke out in the Üzümlü neighborhood for an undetermined reason, rapidly mobilizing the Antalya Regional Forestry Directorate and local fire brigade units after bystanders reported the fire.
Emergency response crews are tackling the flames with six helicopters, three planes, 14 water sprinklers, five water supply vehicles, two initial intervention vehicles and 135 forestry workers.
While combating the domestic blaze, Türkiye extended its support to France by deploying two firefighting aircraft following a formal request, Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı said.
The deployment follows a similar recent mission to Spain. The ongoing forest fires across Europe over the past days once again demonstrated the sheer difficulty of this struggle, Yumaklı said.
Türkiye fulfills its responsibility to protect forests of different countries when needed by utilizing its capabilities and experience in the field, Yumaklı said.
Forests are the most precious legacy to leave for future generations, and cross-border solidarity will continue with determination, the minister said.
In southwestern France, crews are battling a severe forest fire that intensified overnight in the Gironde province and is steadily advancing toward Bordeaux, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said.
The blaze burned more than 42,000 hectares of land and forced the evacuation of nearly 220,000 people, Nunez said.
