Firefighters extinguished around 100 wildfires that reignited in Turkey said officials on Sunday. The fires broke out one more time in the seaside areas.
On his Twitter account, Bekir Pakdemirli, the Minister of Forestry and Agriculture, said that while firefighters put out around 107 fires and they are “under control”, five fires still sweep through Antalya and Mugla.
In Mugla, the fire spread in Marmaris and other tourist destinations. Likewise, fire in Antalya spread in two areas.
Helicopters and fire trucks were not enough to shut the wildfires down, as they needed police to step in with water cannons. Water cannons are usually used to quell a riot, but such an emergency requires such an intervention.
Turkish TV displayed the fires that broke out again, with smoke and blazes covering the village. Citizens attempted to shut down the fire, helping the crews and protecting their homes and olive groves.
Unfortunately, fire already damaged some houses, and guards helped civilians evacuate on private boats through the sea.
Government action and tourism amid blazes
Fires did not stop there, as they swept through a village near the town of Manavgat. Helicopters, in turn, attempted to shut it down.
Six people have died since the breaking out of severe fires. Filled with panic, tourists evacuated some hotels as the fire went down the seashore.
The list prepared by the Minister highlighted the fires that broke out in 32 provinces from Wednesday until now.
Turkish authorities are carrying out extensive investigations to know the reason behind the fires. It is reported that it may have been an act of “sabotage” by unlawful Kurdish militants.
On the other hand, experts see that the fire broke out due to the climate crisis amid high temperatures.
Turkish is not the only country enduring this. Italy and Greece saw blistering heatwaves that caused wildfires across the Mediterranean.
Meteorologists predicted a sharp increase in temperatures to reach 42 degrees Celsius on Monday. Temperatures in Antalya already reached 41 degrees Celsius on Sunday.
