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Ongoing wildfire in Turkish region of Antalya scorches 180 hectares of forest

Turkish minister of agriculture and forestry has stated that the fire poses no threat to populated areas

ANKARA, July 26. /TASS/. A forest fire near the resort city of Kemer in the Turkish region of Antalya has been going on for over 36 hours, the Ahaber TV channel reported.

The media outlet said that the fire was spreading rapidly because of strong winds. According to the latest information, 180 hectares of forest have burned.

Turkish Minister of Agriculture And Forestry Ibrahim Yumakli has stated that the fire poses no threat to populated areas. The Turkish authorities also pointed out that the fire had not affected hotels, which continued to operate normally.

Meanwhile, the Russian Emergencies Ministry’s aircraft involved in the fight against Turkish fires conducted 79 water droppings in the past 24 hours, a ministry spokesperson told TASS. "In the past day, two Be-200ChS amphibious aircraft conducted 79 droppings of over 800 tons of water on the burning forests outside the city of Kemer in the Antalya Province," the spokesperson specified.

According to the Russian Emergencies Ministry, pilots operated the aircraft in difficult mountainous terrain in poor visibility conditions caused by heavy smoke, picking up water from the sea amid big waves.

"The priority mission of the Russian Emergencies Ministry’s specialists was to protect hotels and other infrastructure facilities on the coast from the blazes," the ministry official noted.