ANKARA (Al Jazeera) – More than 100 wildfires have been brought under control in Turkey, according to officials, as firefighters worked to battle blazes that continued in popular seaside destinations.
Minister of Forestry and Agriculture Bekir Pakdemirli said on Twitter on Sunday that five fires were continuing in the tourist destinations of Antalya and Mugla, while 107 fires were “under control”.
Pakdemirli’s list showed fires began in 32 provinces from Wednesday onward. Six people have died, with hundreds injured and thousands evacuated from their homes.
The fires in Antalya were in two districts while in Mugla, the tourist destination of Marmaris and others were hit by fire.
Police used water cannon assisted helicopters and fire trucks in a village in Bodrum, a popular district in Mugla that saw panic-struck tourists being evacuated from hotels on Saturday as fire rolled down the hill towards the sea.
Turkish television showed fires had reignited in the area after being extinguished earlier, with blazes and smoke approaching a village. Civilians were trying to help.
Fires were also encroaching on a village near the town of Manavgat, where helicopters were trying to extinguish blazes.
While Turkish authorities are investigating whether the fires may have started as an act of sabotage, experts mostly point to the climate crisis, as seen by the drastic increases in temperatures along with accidents caused by people.
A heatwave across southern Europe has led to wildfires across the Mediterranean, including in Italy and Greece.