Selcuk Sanli let his cows roam, took his most valuable belongings with him, and fled his home when a wildfire approached. This was one of many fleeing flames that have blanketed the sky with a thick yellow cloud.
Turkish firefighters fought Monday for the sixth consecutive day to put out the flames that were ravaging forests close to Turkey's beaches. Eight people have been killed in the fires that started Wednesday, thanks to strong winds and scorching heat. Tourists and residents fled their vacation destinations in small boats and convoys full of trucks and cars. Many villages have lost their homes, farm animals and had difficulty breathing in the thick smoke.
According to Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu, around 10,000 people were evacuated from Mugla alone.
Sanli checked on his Bozalan house Monday morning to discover that the fire had erupted.
As he was about to leave, he stated that "Property can be an important part of your life, but life itself comes before it."
Bekir Pakdemirli, Agriculture and Forestry Minister, stated that nine fires remain in coastal provinces Antalya (and Mugla) that are tourist hot spots. Denizli and Izmir were also affected by active fires.
The minister earlier said that another fire was put out in Tunceli in southeast Turkey. Over 30 provinces were affected by the fires, which have now been extinguished.
Pakdemirli stated that "We are experiencing days when the heat is over 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), and where the winds blow strong and the humidity is very low." "We are struggling in such difficult circumstances."
Bozalan's Esra Sanli bowed as she pointed to a nearby fire.
"There is no plane, no helicopter, no roads. How will this be put out of business? "How?" She said.
Firetrucks approached Bolan with sirens on. Villagers were seen tending to their cows.
Residents were forced to flee Cokertme, a nearby village, as the flames grew closer on Sunday. As the fire grew closer, residents were forced to evacuate Cokertme by small boats, while others fled their homes in cars. Ahmet Aras (the mayor of nearby Bodrum) described the scene as "hell." Two nearby thermal power stations were also protected.
A mandatory evacuation order was issued for Turunc in Mugla province near Marmaris, a popular beach resort. People with suitcases fled the scene on small boats.
Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Minister of Tourism, stated Monday that some tourists could return to their hotels once the threat had passed.
According to the EU, it mobilized firefighting aircraft from Spain and Croatia to assist Turkey. The blazes were also being fought by planes from Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine. Spain stated that it would send two water-dumping and one transport aircraft and 27 soldiers to assist.
Following allegations that the Turkish government was undermining firefighting efforts by refusing to accept help from Western countries, the EU announced this. Pakdemirli denied that and said that the government only rejected offers for planes with less than five tons of water-dumping capacity. He said that 16 aircraft, 51 helicopters, and more than 5,000 people were fighting the fires.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been widely criticized for not purchasing state-of-the-art firefighting aircraft.
Marmaris Mayor Mehmet Oktay stated that fires had continued to burn in two areas and that 11,000 hectares (or 28,000 acres) of forest were being burned. Monday saw a fire reach the edge of Hisaronu and burn several homes before it dragged down a mountainside towards a road. Police evacuated journalists and ambulance crews.
Oktay said that his lungs had been burning for five days.
Fahrettin Koca (the health minister) stated that at least 27 victims are still being treated in hospitals, while hundreds more were treated and released.
Soylu, an interior minister, stated that authorities are investigating the causes of the fires. This includes human "carelessness" as well as possible sabotage from outlawed Kurdish militants. One person was arrested over claims that the group might have paid him for starting a fire.
Experts tend to blame climate change and accidents caused by humans for the fires. Erdogan stated that one of the fires was set by children.
The heatwave that swept across southern Europe, fuelled by North African hot air, caused wildfires in the Mediterranean. People had to be evacuated to safety by sea.
Fraser reported from Ankara in Turkey. Ayse Wieting, Istanbul, and Barry Hatton, Lisbon, contributed to this report.
May God Saves Us From All These Natural Disasters Like Wildfire and Tsunamis.