Firefighting efforts continued Thursday as crews battled forest fires in several provinces across western and southern Türkiye, while authorities announced that most of the blazes reported over the past day had been brought under control.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumaklı said authorities had responded to 115 fires nationwide since Wednesday, including 69 outside forested areas, adding that 110 of them had been completely contained.
"Three more fires in Balıkesir's Edremit, Çanakkale's Ayvacık and Antalya's Kumluca have also been completely brought under control," Yumaklı said.
Firefighters remained on the front lines in Muğla, Antalya, Balıkesir and Mersin, where aerial and ground crews continued working to prevent flames from spreading.
In Muğla, crews were battling a wildfire that broke out in the Yeşilüzümlü neighborhood of Fethiye, where strong winds caused the flames to spread rapidly through forested areas. Fire engines and municipal firefighters were dispatched to the scene, with containment efforts ongoing.
Another wildfire in Muğla's Seydikemer district entered its second day after igniting in Bayır neighborhood on Wednesday. Ground crews worked throughout the night before aircraft resumed water-dropping operations at first light. Several homes were evacuated along with livestock as the fire expanded across a wide area.
In Antalya, firefighters continued battling a large wildfire in Alanya's Sapadere neighborhood. District Governor Şakir Öner Öztürk said two aircraft, two helicopters, 93 vehicles, 130 response teams and 325 personnel were involved in the operation.
Öztürk said no casualties or structural damage had been reported and expressed hope that favorable weather conditions would allow the fire to be contained later Thursday. As a precaution, 45 homes were evacuated due to the risk posed by strong winds.
A separate wildfire in Kaş district entered its third day, with helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft supporting ground crews working in steep, rocky terrain. Officials said the fire continued at low intensity while containment efforts progressed.
Authorities announced that a wildfire in Antalya's Kumluca district had been brought under control following an intensive response involving two aircraft, four helicopters, 15 fire engines, 30 firefighting vehicles and 281 personnel.
Kumluca District Governor Bahadır Güneş said cooling operations were underway after the blaze scorched about 50 hectares (123.5 acres) of land and damaged approximately 15 homes, with damage assessment work continuing.
Elsewhere in Antalya, firefighters extinguished separate wildfires in Manavgat and Serik.
The Manavgat blaze damaged 2 decares of forest and 2 decares of agricultural land, while the overnight fire in Serik spread into nearby farmland and greenhouses, damaging olive trees and greenhouse covers before being brought under control after nearly four hours. The gendarmerie launched an investigation into the cause of the fire.
In Balıkesir, firefighting operations continued for a second day in Gömeç district, where authorities deployed six aircraft, five helicopters, 30 fire engines, 16 firefighting vehicles, water tankers and 658 personnel to battle the flames.
Residents of Tıfıllar neighborhood in neighboring Ayvalık were evacuated as a precaution while aerial and ground operations continued.
Officials confirmed that the wildfire in Balıkesir's Edremit district had been brought under control.
Another blaze near Ahmetçe village in Çanakkale's Ayvacık district was also fully contained after aerial firefighting operations resumed Thursday morning.
In Mersin, crews continued battling a forest fire in the Karatepe neighborhood of Aydıncık district using helicopters and ground units.
Meanwhile, a shrubland fire near a residential area in Izmir's Dikili district was brought under control after firefighters prevented the flames from reaching nearby homes. Authorities are investigating reports that the blaze may have been sparked by an exploding transformer.
