A total of 152 fires have been contained since they started burning last Wednesday in Turkey, according to the country’s agriculture and forestry minister, according to Anadolu Agency.
Efforts continue to put out the 11 remaining blazes.
There were 163 fires that have erupted in 38 provinces since July 28, Bekir Pakdemirli told a news conference in the Marmaris district in southern Turkey. He was accompanied by Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.
Pakdemirli said 16 airplanes, nine UAVs, 51 helicopters, one unmanned aerial helicopter, 805 water tankers, and 5,200 personnel are battling the blazes.
He pledged support to victims and said 2,219 farmers in five provinces, 18 districts and 78 villages have been affected.
Pakdemirli said Marmaris saw record high temperature of 45.5 degrees Celsius (113.9 F). “The previous record was 45.2° [113.36 F] on July 7, 1988,” he said.
Regarding ongoing fires in Antalya’s Manavgat district, he said: “We received some good news from the west side of Manavgat. Our teams have taken some risks. It’s heading towards a good point.”
Soylu said as many as 16,603 residents in 3,219 households in 28 neighborhoods have been evacuated because of the fires.
Source: Azerbaijan State News Agency