Preventive evacuation has begun in the Aksu, Kepez, and Serik districts due to fires. Meanwhile, the flames are engulfing homes, greenhouses, and devastating arable land.
On Tuesday, firefighters worked all night using water tankers, heavy machinery, and other vehicles, and at dawn resumed aerial operations. At least 5 planes and 10 helicopters are extinguishing the fires, and hundreds of rescuers are deployed in the affected districts.
It is reported that on Monday evening the fires reached the Antalya-Isparta highway.
Fighting not only the fire
Police crews warned residents of Kizili and Ilica to evacuate their homes as a precaution, and access to the fire zone was restricted. Three residential areas were evacuated, as well as the Aksu animal shelter.
Busra Ozdemir, deputy mayor of Antalya Metropolitan Municipality, said strong winds especially complicated firefighting efforts and added that brigades were trying to prevent the fire from spreading further south.
“We are fighting not only the fire but also the weather conditions, especially the wind,” she noted, adding that municipal teams and equipment were mobilized in the operation coordinated by Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority.
One person died
As reported by the news agency Reuters, one person died from a heart attack caused by the forest fires.
“A resident died from smoke inhalation,” wrote Aksu district mayor Isa Yildirimas in his post on the social network X.
Turkey’s forestry service reported that forest fires in Antalya’s Kumluca district and Mersin’s Bozyazi district are essentially under control, although efforts to fully extinguish them continue.
Videos show flames spreading in forested areas, with thick columns of smoke rising into the sky, while helicopters, planes, and fire trucks strive to stop the fires.
As reported by the TV channel NTV, residents also joined firefighting efforts – farmers used tractors and water tankers to help transport water to the affected areas.
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