On July 28, 2021, vegetation fires in Turkey began to spread. The fires first appeared in a sparsely populated region, about 75 kilometers east of Antalya – a very popular resort among Eastern European tourists, including Romanians. On Thursday and Friday morning, fires got closer and closer to the sandy beaches dotted with hotels. Heavy clouds of smoke turned the sky to dark orange over a beachfront hotel complex in Manavgat. Several palm trees caught fire, and the flames approached just a few meters from two gas stations. Firefighters intervened from the ground and from the air to keep the fire under control. The flames destroyed large areas of forest, but also several buildings. People from five suburbs of the city were also evacuated. People from four neighborhoods were also evacuated to Antalya. At least 183 people were hospitalized.

The Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Bekir Pakdemirli said a hotel was also evacuated near the tourist town of Bodrum – about 300 kilometers west of Antalya – as new fires broke out on the south coast. The very high temperatures of the last period have led to the drying of the vegetation, favoring the rapid spread of fires, favored by the wind that has a soul of over 50 kilometers per hour. In Turkey, near the famous resorts frequented by Romanians, huge vegetation fires have swallowed up houses, forests, and crops. Sky News reporter Alex Crawford said „there was a general panic in the village, with dozens of people trying to flee, including firefighters. Firefighters vehicles withdrew from the flames”. The hot wind carries sparks in all directions and frustrates their efforts. The pines explode simply because of the heat and another fire breaks out in another part of the village. Doctors, residents, and firefighters said they feel tired and powerless because everything burns and they can’t do anything.

Thus, 13 cities in Turkey burned. These being: Manavgat, Bodrum, Alanya, Kayseri, Adana, Osmaniye, Marmaris, Mersin, Kozan, Muğla, Didim, Kutahya and Kocaeli.All we have to do is pray for Turkey, its tourists, the people who have run out of houses and clothes, but also for the thousands of animals that are fighting the burning fire. So, the beginning of the end came in Turkey.

Pray for Turkey!

Editor: Căpraru Ștefania

Grafician: Moroșanu Mădălina