Turkey unites in fight against multiple forest fires

Turkey has mobilized and united in efforts to fight against wildfires that have wreaked havoc on swathes of the country's south and Aegean region, as the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry said 107 of 112 fires have been brought under control as of early Aug. 1.

class='cf'>

People across the country are sending food aid to the disaster zones, while inhabitants at the scene of fires are carrying water to firefighters and aid to the victims.

The blazes began in early July 28 in four separate locations, including the most destructive in the Manavgat district of the southern province of Antalya. The fires broke out almost in tandem across other Mediterranean provinces, then across some 40 provinces and districts in 50 hours.

Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said on Twitter that a total of 112 fires have erupted since July 28 and 107 of them have been contained. The efforts to contain the remaining five fires are underway in Antalya's Manavgat and Gündoğmuş, along with the Marmaris, Köyceğiz, and Milas districts of Muğla, he added.

"We have witnessed the people's efforts in Marmaris," a reporter from daily Hürriyet reported on Aug. 1.

"People were running towards hills with their pickaxes and shovels to help the firefighters. Some others were carrying water, food, or medical aid to the area."

class='cf'>

According to the daily, among the helpers are people who have been evacuated from their houses due to fires. Rather than sitting in grief, "those people are fighting the fires as well."

People helping put out the fire are recommended to drink ayran, a popular cold savory yogurt-based beverage which is thought to be preventative against smoke poisoning.

"The biggest problem firefighters face is the...