ISTANBUL (AP) 鈥� Turkey sent two firefighting aircraft Saturday to help battle as Turkish firefighters battled a blaze on their side of the border and one person was reported dead in the country's west.
Eleven fire trucks and water support vehicles were also dispatched to help beat back flames in Syria鈥檚 northwest Latakia region, according to Raed Al Saleh, the Syrian minister of emergency and disaster management. He posted on X, saying 鈥渟udden wildfires in Turkey鈥� delayed their arrival by almost a day.
Turkey has been battling wildfires since June 26.
Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said Saturday that firefighters successfully controlled 10 major fires in western Turkey, but an injured forestry worker had died, Odemis in Izmir province.
Authorities said most of the fires in Izmir were caused by faulty power lines.
Meanwhile, in Hatay province, which borders Syria, emergency crews continued fighting a blaze that broke out Friday afternoon in the Dortyol district near a residential area and rapidly intensified due to strong winds, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Some 920 homes had been evacuated as a precaution against the advancing flames, Governor Mustafa Musatli said late Friday.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said 44 suspects had been detained in relation to 65 fires that broke out across the country.
Fires that have hit Turkey, and Syria over the past week have been fueled by soaring temperatures, strong winds, and low humidity. In Turkey, they led to the evacuation of tens of thousands of people and damaged some 200 homes.
The Syrian Civil Defense expressed concerns over the presence of unexploded ordnance from the country鈥檚 past conflicts in some of the wildfire areas.
Summer fires are common in the eastern Mediterranean region, where experts warn that is intensifying conditions.
The Associated Press
