(5 Aug 2021) A wildfire that reached the compound of a coal-fueled power plant in southwest Turkey and forced evacuations by boats and cars, was contained on Thursday after raging for some 11 hours, officials and media reports said.
Several residents of the nearby village of Oren chose to not evacuate and stayed put.
Hulya Damla Soydan, 22, and Ismail Ayhan, 48, spoke to The Associated Press about the chaotic scenes Wednesday evening.
Strong winds drove the fire toward the Kemerkoy power plant in Mugla province late on Wednesday, prompting evacuations from Oren, a seaside resort.
Navy landing crafts were deployed to help evacuate residents by sea, while convoys of cars formed long lines on roads leading away from the area, Haberturk television reported.
Turkey has for the past nine days been battling its worst wildfires in decades amid scorching heat, low humidity and constantly shifting strong winds.
The fires have so far killed eight people and countless animals and forced villagers to evacuate their homes and livestock while tourists fled in boats and cars.
In the coastal province of Mugla, where tourist hot spot Bodrum is located, fires were continuing in six areas on Thursday, officials said.
On Thursday, fires were also raging in five districts in Antalya province, another tourism destination, where two neighborhoods were evacuated on Wednesday.
Precautions were taken at the Kemerkoy power plant and its hydrogen tanks had been emptied.
Officials said there was no serious damage to the plant's main units, after an initial inspection of the site.
#Turkey #Wildfire #fire
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