Turkey aims to bring all forest fires under control soon: Minister

Battling wildfires for over a week, Turkey said on Aug. 5 that it aims to bring all of them under control on Friday.

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"We managed to prevent the blazes from advancing further despite strong winds today," said Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. "We aim to bring them totally under control tomorrow."

His remarks came in the fire-hit coastal province of Antalya in southern Turkey before a meeting at the coordination center of the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) in Manavgat district.

Regarding the forest fires in Manavgat, one of the hardest-hit regions, he said the fire response by air and land stopped the flames from spreading further.

Over 6,500 people and more than 1,800 vehicles have engaged in operations to contain the wildfires, he said, adding air elements had made 1,650 sorties today alone.

At least 770 people have been affected by the fires, with six of them currently receiving treatment in hospitals, Çavuşoğlu added. As many as 1,352 buildings are seriously damaged or completely destroyed.

So far, 17 million Turkish liras (almost $2 million) has been distributed for 1,055 families affected by the fires, he said, adding "we will quickly provide financial aid for citizens in areas which have been damaged."

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He also said that the US offered to send two helicopters to help Turkey battle the massive fires and that the two countries are now working on the details.

Removing traces of disaster

Turkey's Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoğlu also spoke from AFAD's coordination center in Manavgat.

The government has put extraordinary efforts into fighting the fires since they erupted nine days ago, Karaismailoğlu said before...