Forest Fire in Muğla: Çakıralan Village with a Population of 350 Evacuated

ÇAKIRALAN VILLAGE WITH A POPULATION OF 350 WAS EVACUATED

While air and land intervention continues in the forest fire that broke out in the rural Sekköy Neighborhood of the Milas district of Muğla, the Çakıralan Village, with a population of 350, was evacuated as a precaution. Muğla Governor İdris Akbıyık, who came to the region and monitored the extinguishing efforts, provided information about the latest situation regarding the fire. Governor Akbıyık said, “A fire that started in an agricultural area and olive groves in Sekköy at 15:15 today spread to the forest area. While we thought we had it under control at around 19:00, it came to the forest areas of Çakıralan Village by firing a spot light. The intervention is currently continuing from the air and land. Of course, the General Directorate of Forestry, the Regional Directorate’s planes and helicopters, and again from the Ministry of National Defense are intervening from the air. 12 General Directorates of Forestry and approximately 20 aircraft and helicopters from the Ministry of National Defense are intervening from the air. The helicopters are currently intervening with night vision. We have water trucks, fire departments, dozers intervening from the land, and again, the villagers support us. A fire that came to the ground zero of our Çakıralan Village. We have evacuated our village of 60 households with a population of 350. There is a great struggle to get it under control without spreading to the village and without any loss of life.”

‘THE BURNED AREA IS OVER 30 HECTARES’

Governor Akbıyık stated that the fire affected an area of ​​approximately 30 hectares and that the constant change of direction of the wind made the work difficult, and said, “It is considered that the cause of the fire could be electrical wires. It is not fully clear. A barn was damaged, the flames reached the cemetery. But we think that all our teams have surrounded the village and protected it with our fire department, construction equipment and roads. There is a constantly changing wind. If it does not hit again, we are trying to take control before it reaches the village. The evacuated citizens went to their relatives in nearby villages and neighborhoods by their own choice, but we also have places to take them in the thermal power plants. The young people stayed in the village. Around 40 young people who help our friends working here also support us. The area is large, we cannot make any measurements right now because it is night, but I think the burned area is estimated to be over 30 hectares.”