As blazing flames continue to ravage the Hatay, Çanakkale and Mersin provinces, dedicated teams are dispatched to intervene and bring the fires under control that have been raging for the second day.
The wildfires, caused due to a prevalent heatwave in the country's south and west, also pose a risk of increasing the temperatures and triggering new blazes.
According to local media reports, the fire that engulfed a vast area in Hatay's Belen district originated around 2 p.m. local time (11 a.m. GMT) when two individuals in the Soğukoluk neighborhood sparked the flames while attempting to clear reeds in their garden. The fire quickly spread into the surrounding forest area. The residents of Mufti, Soğukoluk, and Benlidere neighborhoods were evacuated as the fire spread rapidly, fueled by strong winds.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya and Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Ibrahim Yumaklı visited the fire area ravaged by fire at night and inspected the work on-site.
Yumaklı stated that 19 fires broke out Sunday, 16 of which were under control.
Simultaneously, teams tirelessly combat a wildfire through air and ground interventions in Mersin's Gülnar district.
The fire, which broke out in Gülnar's Kavakoluğu neighborhood on Sunday, spread to Korucuk, Çavuşlar and Tepe neighborhoods, driven by strong winds. The response continued throughout the night, resulting in the evacuation of 373 homes, with four houses already reduced to ashes, as reported by the private NTV broadcaster early Monday.
