Turkey Faces Wildfires: Access to Forests Banned in 12 Provinces

Access to forests has been banned in 12 Turkish provinces due to prolonged forest fires in the country. According to circulating information, residents in Istanbul, Çanakkale, Balıkesir, Kocaeli, İzmir, Bursa, Aydın, Hatay, Konya, Uşak, Kırklareli, and Gaziantep are prohibited from visiting forested areas. This ban is effective until the end of August, and in some provinces, it will continue until further notice.

Earlier, Turkey's Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Bekir Pakdemirli, announced that efforts to extinguish 20 forest fires are still ongoing in six southern provinces. Reports also indicate that four people have died and 183 have been injured due to the natural disaster.

The fires have reached the popular tourist destinations of Bodrum and Marmaris, prompting evacuations from several hotels. Ahmet Aras, the mayor of Bodrum, stated that the forest fire near the province has been extinguished and all evacuated tourists have returned to their hotels, with no injuries reported.