Turkey power plant blaze contained as other fires spread

Country's worst wildfires in decades have raged for nine days and killed eight people

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  A forest burns in Marmaris, a popular tourist destination in south-western Turkey.

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  A plane pours water over Sirtkoy, a village near Manavgat, Antalya.

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  People use a boat to flee fire in Mazi, a village near the port city Bodrum. A house and car can be seen burning in the background.

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  Firefighters tackle a burning building in Sirtkoy.

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  A man reacts as a helicopter pours water over Sirtkoy, a village near Manavgat.

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  Tourists flee smoke-engulfed Mazi, near Bodrum, as bushfires roll down the hill towards the shore.

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  A man walks with his dog on the beach of smoke-engulfed Mazi area as wildfires rolled down the hill toward the seashore, in Bodrum, Mugla.

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  People move away from fire in Sirtkoy.

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  A man flees the flames in Sirtkoy.

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  People watch the fire spread in Sirtkoy after fleeing their homes in the village.

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  A British couple board a boat with their cat after fleeing their home in Turunc, a village near Marmaris.

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  People wait near bushfire in a rural part of Marmaris.

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  Locals take water from the sea to battle the blaze in Turunc.

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  People use a scooter in Turunc before the village is evacuated.

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  Firefighters and volunteers try to extinguish a fire near Marmaris.

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  People ride a scooter near a bushfire in rural Marmaris.

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  A helicopter pours water on Sirtkoy.

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  People try to put out a fire in Marmaris.

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  Vegetation burns behind a hotel in Icmeler, near Marmaris.

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  Tourists wait to be rescued from smoke-engulfed village of Mazi as flames roll down the hill towards the shore.

A wildfire that reached the compound of a coal-fuelled power plant in southwest Turkey has been contained.

The flames, that forced nearby residents to flee in boats and cars, were extinguished on Thursday after raging for some 11 hours, officials and media reports said.

Strong winds drove the fire towards the Kemerkoy power plant in Mugla province late on Wednesday, prompting evacuations from the nearby seaside resort of Oren. Navy vessels were deployed to help ferry residents away, while cars formed long convoys on roads leading away from the area, Haberturk television reported.

An initial inspection of the power plant showed its main units suffered no serious damage, Turkish presidential communications director Fahrettin Altun said. The privately run plant uses lignite to generate electricity, according to its website.

Television images showed dozens of fire lorries and water tankers surrounding the plant’s main building, some dousing water as part of a cooling effort that also involved planes and helicopters. The main building did not appear to have been affected.

A forestry authority official said the Kemerkoy plant and another nearby power station were still at risk due to the unpredictable winds. Authorities blocked roads and stopped people from approaching Kemerkoy.

Turkey’s worst wildfires in decades have raged for nine days amid scorching heat, low humidity and constantly shifting strong winds. The fires have killed eight people and countless animals.

In coastal Mugla province, where tourist hot spot Bodrum is located, fires continued to burn in six areas on Thursday, officials said. Fires also raged in five districts of Antalya province, another tourism destination, where two neighbourhoods were evacuated on Wednesday.

Precautions were taken before the flames reached the Kemerkoy power plant. The plant's hydrogen tanks were emptied, and workers were evacuated. Flammable and explosive substances had also been removed, according to state broadcaster TRT.

Before the fire reached the power plant, firefighters had been working for two days to protect it from advancing flames. Videos from an adjacent neighbourhood in Milas showed charred, decimated trees.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has come under intense criticism over an alleged slow response and inadequate preparedness for large-scale fires. The government acknowledged the country did not have a usable fleet of water-dropping planes.

Firefighting aircraft from Ukraine, Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Spain and Croatia arrived in Turkey to back the ground operation. Planes from Israel were expected on Thursday.

In the past week, mayors posted videos on social media pleading for aerial firefighting responses to local wildfires and Turkish celebrities joined a social media campaign requesting foreign help to combat the blazes.

A heatwave across southern Europe, fed by hot air from North Africa, has contributed to wildfires breaking out across the Mediterranean, including Italy and Greece.

The heatwave is forecast to continue in Turkey and Greece until the end of the week.