(6 Aug 2021) Several excavators cleared strips of land to form firebreaks on Friday in a bid to stop flames from reaching a power plant in Turkey as thousands of people fled wildfires burning out of control in the country.
Fires spread across Greece and Turkey as a protracted heat wave turned forests into tinderboxes that threatened populated areas, electricity installations and historic sites.
Dozens of volunteer workers dug trenches and covered vegetation with dirt in a rushed endeavour to protect Yenikoy plant, located at Milas area of the Mugla province, the second such facility to be threatened by wildfires in the region.
Mahsun Demirel, a 37-year-old hailing from the Aydin province, came with his own excavator to help the efforts in the area.
Demirel said he came as a volunteer to cover "the vegetation of the forest with dirt in order to protect the power plant and the housing area".
On Wednesday, a fire reached the compound of the coal-fueled Kemerkoy power plant, forcing nearby residents to flee in navy vessels and cars.
It was contained on Thursday after raging for some 11 hours and officials said its main units were not damaged.
Volunteers and emergency services joined forces to battle the enormous fires blazing in nearby forests.
Authorities evacuated six more neighbourhoods near the town of Milas on Friday as a wildfire fanned by winds raged some five kilometers (three miles) from the Yenikoy power plant.
At least 36,000 people were evacuated to safety in Mugla province alone, officials said.
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