Wildfires in Antalya, Mugla and Balikesir nearly contained

Wildfires burn across Antalya, Mugla and Balikesir provinces along Türkiye's southern and western coasts in late July, forcing large-scale firefighting operations by air and land.

Authorities report the blazes damaged or destroyed dozens of residential units as crews work to contain the flames across multiple districts.

A forest fire broke out in the Sapadere neighborhood of Alanya, a resort district in Antalya province on Türkiye's Mediterranean coast, on July 29 at around 2:20 p.m.

Firefighting teams begin their initial response within 10 minutes of the blaze starting, according to regional forestry officials.

Antalya's forestry directorate and the metropolitan municipality's fire department mobilized a large-scale response to the Alanya fire. Eight helicopters, two fixed-wing firefighting aircraft,

Forty water tankers and roughly 400 forest personnel joined the operation to prevent further spread of the flames.

Ground and air crews are coordinating around the clock to slow the fire's advance near Alanya.

Additional resources, including water supply trucks, first-response vehicles and heavy machinery, are supporting the firefighters as they work through the night to bring the blaze under control.

Antalya Forest Regional Director Kemal Kayiran told reporters the Alanya fire cannot yet be declared fully extinguished but is largely under control, noting crews remain in the area and a fuller picture of the damage will emerge once operations conclude.

Kayiran added that two other fires in Antalya province, in the districts of Kas and Kumluca, have been fully contained. 

Both areas, located along the province's western coastline, no longer require active firefighting intervention, he says.

In Mugla province, further west along the Aegean coast, a separate fire broke out in the Yesiluzumlu neighborhood of Fethiye, a coastal resort district, during the previous night. 

Crews begin cooling operations after bringing the flames under control.

An Anadolu Agency drone crew captured the aftermath of the Fethiye fire from the air, documenting the extent of the forested terrain affected by the blaze in the hours after containment.

Aerial footage shows sections of the Fethiye forest that once appeared green now reduced to shades of gray and black, illustrating the scale of vegetation lost in the fire before cooling crews complete their work.

Cooling teams continue working through the burned terrain in Fethiye to prevent flare-ups, a standard follow-up procedure once the main blaze has been contained in the wooded area outside the town.

Agriculture and Forestry Minister Yumakli later confirmed that the Fethiye fire is fully contained, while blazes in Balikesir's Gomec district, Antalya's Alanya district and the Gulnar-Aydincik area of Mersin province, on Türkiye's southern coast, are largely under control.

Attention turns to the northwestern province of Balikesir, where a fire in the coastal district of Gomec, along the Aegean Sea, causes damage to homes before firefighting crews bring it under control.

Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum announces that damage assessment teams have begun work in areas where the fires have been brought under control across the three affected provinces.

According to figures shared by Kurum, a total of 65 residential units across Antalya, Mugla and Balikesir sustained heavy damage or are destroyed in the wildfires, based on preliminary assessments from teams on the ground.

In Antalya's Kumluca district, located on the province's western coast, assessment teams record 20 residential units with heavy damage or destruction, the largest single toll outside of Mugla province.

Mugla's Seydikemer district, near Fethiye on the Aegean coast, records the highest number of affected units, with 39 residential structures sustaining heavy damage or destruction from the fires.

In Balikesir's Gomec district on the Aegean coast, six residential units sustained heavy damage or were destroyed, rounding out the province-by-province damage figures shared by the ministry.

Authorities say assessment work continues in the affected districts as firefighting crews remain on standby in areas still being monitored, with officials noting continued state support to residents affected by the fires.