Wildfire in southwest Turkey yet to be controlled: Interior minister

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The wildfire in Turkey’s southwestern province, which broke out on Tuesday, has yet to be controlled as winds are quickly spreading the flames, Turkish interior minister told Rudaw on Thursday. 

A major forest in Turkey’s Aegean town of Marmaris caught fire. The area is partially populated and no casualty has been reported. A total of 2,851 people as well as 27 helicopters and 14 amphibious aircrafts are involved in the process of putting out the fire, according to the Forest General Directorate. 

“There is a good response. It is risky to say that such fires are under control before they are completely extinguished because there is wind and there is the possibility that the fire may start from another spot. Therefore, we should announce its control after it is completely extinguished,” Suleyman Soylu, interior minister, told Rudaw’s Omer Sonmez near the wildfire.

Fahrettin Koca, Turkish health minister, said in a tweet late Thursday that the blaze has affected 29 people but only two remain in hospital. 

Marmaris is one of the country’s popular places for holidaymakers. A series of wildfires in Mugla and Bodrum last year devastated tens of thousands of hectares. A European Union atmosphere monitor said at the time that the blazes were the most intense in Turkey’s history.  

Strong winds are spreading the flames. According to the Forest General Directorate, the speed of the winds was 22 kilometres per hour on Thursday.  

Soylu said on Thursday that a suspect had been arrested for causing the fresh wildfire who has allegedly confessed to starting the fire due to a “misunderstanding with his family,” reported state media.