Firefighting teams are working tireless by ground and air in Turkey to fight several active wildfires that have broken out simultaneously in recent hours in the province of Antalya, where the fire is dangerously close to residential areas and historic ruins and has forced the evacuation of several residents in the area.
According to information provided by Anatolia news agency – among other Turkish media – a fire broke out at around 9:40 this morning in the Kurşunlu neighbourhood of the Aksu district, some 15 kilometres north of Antalya’s city centre, where emergency services ordered the evacuation of the population due to the proximity of the flames to residential areas.
Residents were also ordered to evacuate in another fire in Güzeloba, in the Muratpaşa district, in an area very close to Antalya airport and the well-known Lara beach, one of the most visited by tourists in Antalya. A third fire also broke out in Güzelyalı, an area located on the outskirts of the Manavgat district, some 50 kilometres east of the city of Antalya.
Fire threatens the ruins of Perge, a World Heritage candidate
Efforts to control the wildfires, the causes of which are still unknown, are continuing, with some 200 personnel on the ground supported by 8 helicopters and around 40 vehicles, including more than 30 water tankers. Of particular concern is the fire in Aksu because of the fire’s proximity to the ruins of the ancient city of Perge, which are on UNESCO’s tentative list of World Heritage Sites.
The governor of Antalya, Hulusi Şahin, confirmed to the press that the fires in Aksu and Muratpaşa are very close to inhabited areas of Antalya and pose a high risk due to this factor and the dry environment and wind, which is facilitating their spread.
Şahin also reported that two other fires that broke out in the last few hours in Alanya are now under control, and later announced that the fire in Güzelyalı (Manavgat) had also been brought under control, although the latter was the least dangerous as it did not pose a particular threat to populated areas.
Meanwhile, wildfires continue to rage in other regions of Turkey, such as the fires in the Safranbolu district of Karabük (a province in the Black Sea region) and in İhsaniye (Afyonkarahisar). Efforts are also continuing to contain the fire in the large forest fire in Seyitgazi, in Eskişehir province, which left 10 dead two days ago after a group of forestry workers and rescuers trying to evacuate them were left trapped by flames.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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