Turkish President Recep Erdogan has declared Antalya and several other Turkish provinces disaster zones due to wildfires

President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced disaster zones in several Turkish provinces heavily affected by wildfires. These are the provinces of Antalya, Adana, Mersin, Mugla and Osmaniye.

“We will continue to take all necessary steps to heal the wounds of our country and repair the damage,” Erdogan said.

According to the Minister of Forestry and Agriculture of Turkey, Bekir Pakdemirli, from 28 to 31 July, 98 forest fires were recorded in the country, most of which covered Adana and Antalya.

Wildfires in Antalya due to heat and dry weather began on 28 July. The fire quickly spread to residential buildings and nearby hotels. The resort town-port of Marmaris was particularly affected.

According to the Minister of Agriculture of the country, as a result of the fire in the resort area, three people died. More than a hundred people were evacuated. Among them were the victims and those who suffered material damage, reported Reuters.

Due to hot weather and strong winds, the fire spread over the territory of the city of Manavgat very quickly. As explained by the Minister of Agriculture Bekir Pakdemirli, an 82-year-old man was among the victims in this area. He was found dead during the evacuation of residents from the Kepezbeleni settlement, 16 km northeast of Manavgat. Two more victims were found in Degirmenli, 20 km east of Manavgat.

An airplane, a drone, 19 helicopters, about 250 vehicles and 960 people of the fire brigade were involved in extinguishing the fire.

Authorities evacuated residents of 18 villages in Antalya, and 16 settlements were evacuated in the neighboring provinces of Adana and Mersin.

Turkey has experienced a series of natural disasters caused by extreme weather conditions this summer. For example, last week floods claimed the lives of six people in the Black Sea region.