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MARMARIS, Turkey - The wildfire in Turkey’s southwestern province, which broke out on Tuesday, is yet to be controlled, Turkish interior minister told Rudaw on Thursday.
The area located on Turkey’s Aegean town of Marmaris is partially populated and no casualty has been reported. A total of 2,851 people as well as 27 helicopters and 14 amphibious aircrafts are involved in the process of putting out the fire, according to the Forest General Directorate.
“There is a good response. It is risky to say that such fires are under control before they are completely extinguished because there is wind and there is the possibility that the fire may start from another spot. Therefore, we should announce its control after it is completely extinguished,” Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu told Rudaw’s Omer Sonmez near the wildfire.
Fahrettin Koca, Turkish health minister, said in a tweet late Thursday that the blaze has affected 29 people but only two remain in hospital.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that the wildfire in the country’s southwestern province of Mugla has mostly been controlled, adding that the blaze has not caused any casualties.
Marmaris is one of the country’s popular places for holiday-makers.
A series of wildfires in Mugla and Bodrum last year devastated tens of thousands of hectares. A European Union atmosphere monitor said at the time that the blazes were the most intense in Turkey’s history.
Strong winds are spreading the flames. According to the Forest General Directorate, the speed of the winds was 22 kilometres per hour on Thursday.
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