Firefighters contain wildfire in southwestern Turkey near hotel, residential area (Update)

Firefighters succeeded in containing a wildfire close to residential areas in southwestern Turkey, the national forestry authority said on Friday.

The regional forestry authority of Mugla province said the blaze, fanned by strong winds and temperatures close to 40 degrees Celsius, had threatened a hotel and settlement areas in the small seaside town of Icmeler near Marmaris.

The Turkish coast guard had secured the bay and suspended water traffic in the area where firefighting planes and helicopters were collecting water to help extinguish the fire, it added.

Television footage showed black and white smoke billowing near the coast and approaching settlement areas as onlookers stood on beaches.

Human-induced climate change is making heat waves more likely and more severe, scientists say.

Last summer’s wildfires, most of which also occurred near Marmaris, were the most intense on record in Turkey, a European Union atmosphere monitor said at the time, adding that the Mediterranean had become a wildfire hot spot.