ISTANBUL, August 23. /TASS/. An amphibious plane leased by Turkey from Russia is helping put out a large forest fire in the province of Canakkale in Turkey’s northwest, Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said in a live broadcast on TRT television channel on Wednesday.
"A large plane taken on lease from Russia is involved in extinguishing the fire," the minister said.
In all, eight planes, 26 helicopters, over 600 pieces of firefighting equipment and almost 2,600 personnel are extinguishing the wildfire that has swept an area of 1,500 hectares. The Dardanelles Strait is still closed for two-way shipping and is used by amphibious planes to collect water for the firefighting effort, he specified.
The situation is conducive to the firefighting effort so far but a clearer picture will emerge in the second half of the day when the wind may grow stronger. Currently, wind gusts reach 8.3 m/s in some places, the agriculture minister said.
A total of 84 people have suffered from the raging wildfires in Canakkale, mostly from smoke, with 48 of them receiving medical assistance at health institutions and the others at the scene. About 80 ambulances are present in the area of the raging wildfires, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said.