Forest Fire in Turkey Spreads Eastward After Forcing 410 People To Flee

A forest fire that broke out Wednesday in the Gülnar District of Turkey’s Mersin Province has spread eastward to the Silifke District despite efforts to contain it. Firefighters on the ground and in the air, including crews flying three helicopters equipped with night vision systems, worked through the night trying to control the flames, which were fanned by strong winds. The D-400 highway connecting Mersin to the province of Antalya was temporarily closed due to the blaze but reopened on Thursday.

On Wednesday, local authorities in the Gülnar District evacuated 410 people from 110 homes that are threatened by the fire. Mersin Governor Ali Hamza Pehlivan told reporters there were no reported injuries or major house damage, adding that “only an abandoned building in the forest area was burned.” But the fire was dangerously close to the construction site of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in Büyükeceli.