Antalya on fire as blazes spread through Kas, Alanya and Kumluca

Firefighters continued to tackle forest fires across Antalya province on Thursday, with operations still underway in the districts of Kas and Alanya.

A separate blaze in Kumluca was brought under control after damaging forestland and homes.

Crews continued to fight the forest fire in the Uzumlu neighborhood of Kas for a third day after it broke out early on July 28.

Ground teams worked through the night in steep, rocky and sloping terrain, pushing ahead with containment efforts despite the difficult conditions.

Helicopters and firefighting planes joined the operation again at first light. 

Although the intensity of the blaze has been brought down, air and ground crews are still working to fully contain it.

In Alanya, firefighters continued to respond to a forest fire that began in the Sapadere neighborhood and later spread across a wider area.

Ground crews fought the flames throughout the night before aerial operations resumed in the morning. 

The response involved 325 personnel, two planes, two helicopters and additional firefighting vehicles.
 

Alanya District Governor Sakir Oner Ozturk said officials expected to bring the fire under control during the day, provided that weather conditions remained favorable.

Strong winds had helped the blaze spread, prompting authorities to evacuate 45 homes as a precaution. No deaths, injuries or property losses were reported, and no houses had been damaged.

Ozturk said public institutions were continuing to work together in coordination to contain the fire as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, the forest fire in Kumluca's Yazir neighborhood was brought under control following continuous operations from the air and ground.

Firefighters worked throughout the night before moving on to cooling operations, which are intended to prevent remaining hot spots from flaring up again.

Kumluca District Governor Bahadir Gunes said the fire had affected about 50 hectares of land and damaged around 15 homes. 

Authorities will continue carrying out assessments in the affected area to establish the full extent of the damage.