Forest fire in western Turkey destroys 350 hectares of forest
Forest fire in western Turkey destroys 350 hectares of forest
16 August 2007
published by www.earthtimes.org
Ankara, Turkey — Firefighters in western Turkey on Thursday brought under control a blaze that injured 17 people and destroyed around 350 hectares of forest, CNN-Turk television reported. A number of houses in the forest were also destroyed in the blaze that started Wednesday afternoon at a public park near the main highway between the town of Manisa and the city of Izmir.
Battling the blaze, firefighters on the ground were backed up by 10 specially-equipped aircraft and 14 water-dumping helicopters.
The 17 injured were all treated for smoke-inhalation at nearby hospitals.
Investigators were looking into whether the fire was started accidentally or whether arson was to blame.
