ANTALYA – The number of people who have lost their lives due to massive forest fires in southern Turkey has risen to eight, Anadolu Agency reported the country’s agriculture and forestry minister as saying.
After examining the affected areas of Mugla from a helicopter, Bekir Pakdemirli said they have completed 75% of the damage assessment work in the province and that four planes and 17 helicopters are still busy with dowsing efforts.
Pakdemirli said on Twitter that 119 of 126 fires across 32 cities that erupted since Wednesday are under control.
A total of 16 aircraft, nine drones, 45 helicopters, six management helicopters, one unmanned helicopter, 708 water tankers and water sprinklers and 120 construction machines have been used to put out the wildfires, the minister said, adding some 4,800 personnel are active in the region, it added.
Earlier, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter that 497 of the 507 people affected by the fire in Manavgat district of Antalya have been discharged from hospitals.
Similarly, he added, 186 of the 203 people struck by wildfires in Mugla’s Marmaris and Bodrum districts have also been treated.
Firefighters, including a group of 100 Azerbaijani firemen, along with locals are at work.
Separately, a puppy that was rescued from a fire in Manavgat district in Turkey’s southern province of Antalya has become the mascot of disaster teams working there.
Ekrem Tekin, a youth centre worker who went to support the teams in the district where firefighting efforts were being carried out from the air and land, told Anadolu Agency that the pup, who has been named “Yanik” (burned), was discovered by rescuers while they were saving an elderly woman in the Gebeci neighborhood.
Tekin said they brought the puppy to the Manavgat Youth Centre, which serves as a disaster coordination centre.
“We were in an area of Gebeci where the fire was extinguished. A volunteer doctor went there to pick up an elderly woman. We saw the dog there, and we couldn’t bear to let it go. We brought it to the center,” Tekin said.
“He was exhausted and tired yesterday. We gave him food and water, and he recovered. Our young people here are also interested.
“He looks healthier. He became the mascot here. We called him ‘Yanik’ because we found him close to the flames,” he added.
Berkay Kose, a 17-year-old 11th grader who participated in volunteer work at the centre, said he supports charity activities at the youth center, of which he is a member, and said they found a morale boost thanks to Yanik.
“When he came yesterday, he was very timid and scared. He got used to us. He jumps on us and tries to bite our hands. He’s so cute. It’s been a source of morale in this environment. We also have cats. They get along well together,” Kose recalled. – Bernama, August 2, 2021
