Turkey holidays: UK holidaymakers warned they 'may have to leave' popular holiday destination as raging wildfires spread
An urgent warning has been issued to UK holidaymakers in the popular holiday destination Turkey due to it being a wildfire hotspot.
Raging fires have spread across southeastern Turkey over the last week and UK holidaymakers have been warned they "may have to leave" the region. Photographs show the serious blazes as plumes of smoke rise over the forests.
In the Diyarbakir and Mardi provinces helicopters were today being used to drop water on wildfires. Two hotels and a number of houses have been evacuated.
Forest fires are being tackled by air and land intervention in Selcuk district of Izmir, Turkey. The aerial intervention, which was suspended after dark yesterday evening, resumed with the first light of the day today (Sunday June 30) with helicopters and aeroplanes.
In order to extinguish the fire, three night vision helicopters took part in the extinguishing efforts throughout the night. Hundreds of animals have died in the fire, which began on Thursday and raged into Friday.
The Foreign Office has updated its advice for Turkey. The statement read: "Wildfires are dangerous and unpredictable. They can start easily and spread quickly, particularly during times of extreme heat. Causing a forest fire can be a criminal offence, even if unintentional.
"You should extinguish cigarette ends properly, not leave empty bottles behind, follow local rules and signs when lighting barbecues; often barbecues are only allowed in designated areas on a concrete base, and always douse barbecues before leaving." It adds that Brits risk a huge fine or prison sentence if they light a fire of any kind or discard cigarettes in risk areas such as woodland.
Turkey has witnessed 74 wildfires this year, destroying around 31,900 acres of land, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). An investigation into the cause of the latest blaze is underway.Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya blamed it on “stubble burning”, the practice of intentionally setting fire to crop residue.