Türkiye continues forest fire battle in western, southern regions
A helicopter is seen extinguishing a fire over the forests in Çanakkale, Türkiye, July 18, 2023. (IHA Photo)


Türkiye continued to battle forest fires Tuesday, particularly in its western provinces of Çanakkale and Tekirdağ, and Diyarbakır in the country's southeast late Monday.

Fires broke out in Kızılkeçili village in Çanakkale, Malkara district in Tekirdağ and Lice district of Diyarbakır, while fires earlier erupted in Datça district in Muğla, Gülnar and Mezitli districts in Mersin, Karaisalı district in Adana, and Belen district in Hatay.

Çanakkale Governor Ilhami Aktaş said winds fueled the fire, but they remained determined in their fight against the raging blaze.

Six aircraft, 15 helicopters, 109 water sprinklers, 14 pieces of heavy equipment and 543 personnel participated in efforts to control the fire, as per Anadolu Agency (AA) reports.

As part of the precaution, six villages in Çanakkale have been evacuated while the wildfire continues to rage for the 43rd hour.

The fires in both Çanakkale and Tekirdağ are being tackled from both air and ground.

However, a fire that started at a restaurant in the Datça district in southwestern Muğla province and later spread to the surrounding forest has been successfully extinguished. Agricultural, maquis and forest areas were impacted.

A fire that broke out in Mersin's Gülnar district has been contained, while a fire in Mezitli district has been extinguished.

Firefighting efforts are currently concentrated highly in the northwestern provinces, namely Çanakkale and Tekirdağ – where fire spread to an area encompassing some 300 hectares.

The remains and ashes of trees are seen in an area impacted by raging fires, Çanakkale, Türkiye, July 18, 2023. (IHA Photo)

Aggressive forest fires that continued for days are primarily exacerbated by the very high temperatures the country's been witnessing since last week.

Türkiye, which seeks to increase the number of its forests, faces a heightened threat of fires, especially in the summer. Ahead of summer, it has bolstered its air and land fleets and has increased the number of personnel crews on the ground to tackle any eventuality originating from raging wildfires.