All but 3 forest fires in Turkey under control

ANKARA

Turkey has gotten under control all the forest fires in the country, except for three blazes in the southwest, said the agriculture and forestry minister on Monday.

"In 53 provinces, we have dealt with 270 forest fires, with 267 now under control," Bekir Pakdemirli told a press conference in Marmaris, Mugla after a firefighting coordination meeting.

The remaining blazes are in the districts of Milas and Koycegiz in the Mugla province and Bozdogan in the Aydin province.

Firefighters have been combatting the blazes for 13 days straight, he said, adding that anyone who wants to volunteer to join the fight can apply online at turkiye.gov.tr.

Damage suffered by 7,735 farmers has been determined across nine provinces, 26 districts, and 180 villages of Turkey, he stated, adding: "About 4,500 beehives were decimated by wildfires in Mugla."

"We will provide free seeds, seedlings, and saplings needed to reestablish plant production areas," Pakdemirli said.

In Mugla, the country's honeydew hub, Turkey will establish new honey facilities, he pledged, as well as compensate for lost cattle.

As Greece asked for surplus firefighting aircraft from Turkey, Pakdemirli said Turkey would send it two 40-ton Forestry Directorate planes.

Antalya

Earlier in the day, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, a native of the southern Antalya province, said 59 neighborhoods and 3,231 buildings were affected by the flames in Antalya.

The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) has sent 400 temporary living containers to the region, Cavusoglu told reporters in Antalya's Manavgat district.

He said 207 of them were already set up and 31 others will be installed in various areas on Monday.

He also said 93 vehicles, including 16 tractors, were also damaged by the flames, but compensation and replacement for the tractors are on the way.

People who were engaged in animal husbandry have lost 11 million Turkish liras ($1.27 million), he said, adding that the losses will be compensated in kind or cash, based on people’s choices.

Referring to the agricultural land affected in fires, he said olive, pomegranate, citrus, laurel, and carob orchards that burned during the fires will be replanted.

"We're working hard to cover all the damage suffered by our citizens, from housing to vehicles, from animals to agricultural land ... We've made necessary plans to ensure that this aid arrives on time without any disruption in the coming days," he said.

He also thanked forest workers and firefighters who came from all over Turkey to help efforts.

The Mugla Governorship said in a statement on Monday that seven planes, 39 helicopters, two drones, 10,547 personnel, and 2,545 vehicles took part in efforts to get the flames under control.

Some 38,715 people were evacuated from the region due to the fires, it said.

The treatment of 15 people out of 687 affected by the fire continues, while 672 people have been discharged from hospitals, it added.

A fire close to the Kemerkoy thermal power plant was extinguished, it noted, saying precautionary measures were taken at the power plant.

In over 19,000 sorties, aircraft dropped 75,000 tons of water onto forest fires in Mugla and Antalya from July 29 to Aug. 7.

At least eight people have been killed, according to official figures, since fires started in southern and southwestern Turkey on July 28.