50% Off! Beat the market in 2025 with InvestingProCLAIM SALE

Wildfire rages on Turkish coast where officials warned of vulnerabilities

Published 06/24/2022, 01:48 AM
Updated 06/24/2022, 07:31 AM
© Reuters. A firefighting helicopter drops water to extinguish a wildfire near Marmaris, a town in Mugla province, Turkey, June 23, 2022. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz

By Berna Suleymanoglu and Birsen Altayli

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Firefighters were tackling a wildfire for a third day on Friday in southwest Turkey, where municipal officials have warned that national authorities are unprepared even after last year's devastating fires revealed a lack of planes and personnel.

Scenes of burning woodland near the Aegean coastal resort of Marmaris since Tuesday have sparked fears of a repeat of last year's fires that ravaged some 140,000 hectares (345,950 acres) across the region.

President Tayyip Erdogan's government was criticised by local residents and opposition parties for being unprepared to fight last year's fires. It responded by saying the wildfires were the worst in Turkey's history.

Officials from Marmaris and the nearby resort Bodrum, both of which experienced the worst of the fires last year, have said the government is not sufficiently prepared this year either.

Marmaris municipal council member Ali Kirli said last year's fires should have been considered "warning flares" to prepare better for this summer.

"The fire season is approaching, but there are no planes in the air, there are no workers on the ground," he told Reuters before the fire broke out on Tuesday.

"Fire-fighting planes and helicopters should be purchased, and a fleet of aircraft should be established."

Marmaris Mayor Mehmet Oktay said the region was allocated one helicopter as of May and asked for an increase. Since the fire began, he has requested night-vision helicopters to tackle the flames at night, a demand echoed by Bodrum Mayor Ahmet Aras.

In a written response to Reuters' questions, Aras also said planes should be deployed to the area and fire brigades should be strengthened.

The government has denied the accusations that it was unprepared this year, with Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu accusing the opposition of spreading lies. Kirli, Oktay and Aras are all from the opposition CHP.

The forestry authority's budget was raised by 220% from last year to 2.4 billion lira ($138.15 million) and officials say night-vision helicopters are due to be delivered in July.

FOREIGN SUPPORT

Last year, the government had to use planes rented from abroad as the aircraft it usually relies on locally were out of action due to a lack of maintenance.

Forestry Minister Vahit Kirisci said Turkey had so far turned down offers of help from several countries but that Qatar had sent three helicopters and Azerbaijan sent an amphibious plane.

This year's fire has damaged more than 3,400 hectares of woodland. Twenty-nine people have been affected by the fire, while 274 people have been evacuated.

One person, who authorities say has admitted to starting the fire out of frustration due to family issues, has been arrested.

Kirisci said on Thursday of the fire that the "problem was largely taken care of" but that strong winds were expected in the area in the afternoon. He said 61 helicopters, 13 planes and some 3800 personnel were working to extinguish the flames.

Last summer's wildfires were the most intense in Turkey on record, a European Union atmosphere monitor has said. Human-induced climate change is making heatwaves more likely and more severe, scientists say.

© Reuters. A firefighting helicopter drops water to extinguish a wildfire near Marmaris, a town in Mugla province, Turkey, June 23, 2022. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz

($1 = 17.3727 liras)

(This story refiles to fix spelling error in first paragraph)

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.