A forest fire that erupted on Wednesday continued into Thursday in Mersin, a Mediterranean Turkish province. Firefighters assisted by airplanes and helicopters managed to contain the spreading blaze, worsened by strong winds.
The cause of the fire which broke out in the Gülnar district is not yet known but an investigation is underway. The blaze spread to a rural neighborhood in the neighboring Silifke district despite efforts to contain it, forcing authorities to evacuate a gas station, a rest stop and some residences in the area. Throughout Wednesday night, three helicopters fitted with night vision systems intervened but the flames still quickly spread. A highway connecting Mersin to the province of Antalya was shut down as a temporary precaution and reopened on Thursday.
Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted that 25 people were "affected" by the fire and eight are still being treated, including one person who is in critical condition.
As flames encroached on residential areas, authorities evacuated some 790 people in 303 housing units in the area while firefighters from nearby provinces and helicopters from the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) provided assistance to local crews.
Authorities also shut down the power in seven neighborhoods in Gülnar and Silifke to prevent more fires.
Mersin Governor Ali Hamza Pehlivan told reporters late on Wednesday that strong winds caused the fire to prevail and that fire trucks, airplanes and helicopters have been deployed to the area. "We also received support from police trucks equipped with water cannons," he said. Pehlivan said evacuees were being accommodated at guest houses in the province. He also noted that the fire has not damaged any buildings besides an abandoned structure in the forest.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Veysel Tiryaki, who was in the affected area on Thursday, told reporters that some 1,500 hectares of land was burned and they were still working to douse the fire. He said uneven terrain and winds challenged the extinguishing efforts, noting winds reached a speed of 70 kph (43 mph) at times.