Forest fires in Antalya claim four lives in Manavgat and Akseki

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA)

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Efforts were underway to extinguish the fires that broke out in different parts of Antalya's Manavgat in the afternoon yesterday (July 27).

The Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) has announced that three people have lost their lives in Manavgat district.

In a statement on Twitter, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has announced that affected by the fires, 62 people have been taken under treatment. While three people are treated for burn injuries, two people are treated for broken bones and 57 people were exposed to smoke.

Manavgat Sub-Governor Mustafa Yiğit has stated that 10 people stranded in the district's Oymapınar Dam have been rescued.

There are also ongoing efforts to put out the forest fire that erupted in Akseki district, has grown due to the winds and spread to Manavgat. Affected by the smoke, one person has died in Akseki.

The teams have been working to put out both fires since morning hours.

Neighborhoods evacuated

Some houses in Akseki's Kepezbeleni and Karaöz neighborhoods and Manavgat's Karavca, Güzelyalı, Saraçlı, Çeltikçi and Ulukapı neighborhoods have been evacuated due to the forest fires.

The houses and barns in the neighborhoods have been burned. On the one side, citizens tried to put out the fire that reached their gardens with hoses; on the other side, they tried to take animals away from the area.

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Bekir Pakdemirli examined the site of the incident and ongoing efforts by helicopter.

One person has died in Akseki

Akseki Sub-Governor Volkan Hülür has spoken to the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) about the issue and said that the fire broke out at around 12.30 a.m. today and the teams intervened against the fire within 15 minutes.

Noting that fire soon razed Kepezbeleni neighborhood, Hülür has said, "The Kepezbeleni road has been closed due to the fire. 13 people have been stranded in the neighbourhood. 12 people have been rescued thanks to the efforts of our firefighters and gendarmerie teams. Affected by the smoke, 82-year-old Hasan Ali Yüksel has unfortunately lost her life. 80 percent of the houses in the neighbourhood have been burned down."

Hülür has indicated that amid firefighting efforts from air and ground, the fire has been taken under control inside the neighborhood, but is still continuing in the surrounding area. (TP/SD)