Turkey is battling the worst forest fires in its history, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday (August 5th) as flames reached a power plant in the southwest of the country after burning forest areas to ashes coastal.
At the sound of evacuation alarms, residents piled up the meager things they had been able to save from their homes aboard coastguard speedboats mobilized in the port of Oren, not far from the town of Milas, near of which the power station is located.
Odunpazarı Belediyesi Arama Kurtarma Ekipleri (OBAK) Milas Ören'de tekrar başlayan yangının ardından, yangına müdahale ve vatandaşları tahliye çalışmaları gerçekleştiriyor.
Ekibimize ve mücadele eden tüm kahramanlara kolaylıklar diliyoruz.
pic.twitter.com/NyL70nm3hz
- Odunpazarı Belediyesi (@odunpazari) August 4, 2021
These unprecedented fires that Turkey has been facing for more than a week are linked to the extreme heat wave hitting southern Turkey, linked to global warming according to experts.
Local authorities assured that the hydrogen tanks used to cool the plant, which runs on fuel and coal, had been emptied and filled with water as a precaution.
"But there is a risk that the fire will spread to the thousands of tons of coal which are inside," a regional official, Osman Gurun, worried to journalists.
Images uploaded by the mayor of Milas, Muhammet Tokat, showed a violent fire at the doors of the plant.
"The plant is in the process of being completely evacuated," the mayor tweeted.
Alevler Termik Santrale girdi ... Santral şu an tamamen boşaltılıyor ve şimdi sirenler çalıyor ... pic.twitter.com/pWBn4bmQPh
- Av. Muhammet Tokat (@ MuhammetTokat48) August 4, 2021
The fire was first brought under control on Wednesday thanks to two water bombers sent by Spain and helicopters, which had dumped water on the wooded peaks and nearby residential areas.
But the flames started again in the afternoon.
"You have been begging and warning you for days. The fire has surrounded the plant", the mayor of Milas had tweeted during the day, asking "that a water bomber plane be sent here urgently".
Poor management by the authorities?
Criticized on the management of these fires, which have already killed eight people, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who gave a live interview on television Wednesday evening when the announcement of the evacuation fell, admitted that the plant "risked to be destroyed by fire ".
More than 180 fires have ravaged forests and farmlands, as well as inhabited areas on Turkey's Mediterranean coasts since last Wednesday.
The fires also seriously affected tourist sites which had recently been able to resume their activities after months of restrictions linked to the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the European Union's satellite monitoring service, the "radiative power" of the fires in Turkey has reached an intensity "unprecedented" since 2003.
The opposition criticized President Erdogan for failing to maintain his fleet of water bombers and for having been slow to accept international aid.
The High Turkish Audiovisual Council (RTUK in Turkish), for its part, warned television stations against disseminating information about the fires which could "cause fear and concern" within the community. population.
The Turkish president accused the opposition of trying to gain political benefit from the situation, while neighboring countries like Greece are also affected by the fires.
"Forest fires are an international threat just like the Covid-19 pandemic", he defended.
"Like everywhere in the world, there has been a sharp increase in forest fires in our country. There should be no room for politics in this issue," he added.
Climate change blamed
In the early days of the fires, columnists in pro-government media accused the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an organization considered terrorist by Turkey and its Western allies, to be responsible.
But authorities are now citing the extreme heat wave that continues to hit southern Turkey.
Climate change in countries like Turkey is increasing the frequency and intensity of forest fires, experts say.
With AFP and Reuters
The summary of the week
France 24 invites you to come back to the news that marked the week
I subscribe
Take international news everywhere with you!
Download the France 24 application
google-play-badge_FR