Crews continue battling wildfire in Antalya as nightfall halts air support

A wildfire in Antalya’s Aksu district continued to spread after nightfall, when the loss of aerial support made efforts to contain the flames more difficult. The fire began around midday and grew rapidly in the wind.

Crews initially responded with three planes, nine helicopters, 45 fire engines, two heavy machines and 275 personnel. Hours of firefighting were complicated by spot fires created when burning material was carried outward by the fire’s intensity.

After darkness fell, the operation continued from the ground with 110 fire engines and water-supply vehicles, four heavy machines, and 610 technical staff and firefighters. Officials said some residential areas were evacuated as a precaution, while gendarmerie and police restricted access to dangerous locations.

The fire started in Karaöz and spread toward Yeşilkaraman under the influence of the wind. Teams were trying to stop it there. Flames and smoke rising from the fire, about 20 kilometers from central Antalya, could be seen from Manavgat, roughly 70 kilometers away. As the sky darkened, the smoke turned into patches of red flame and cast a crimson glow over the night.

Aksu Mayor İsa Yaldırım said the fire had periodically moved out of control and had extended as far as the Kızıllı area of Antalya’s Kepez district. “It extended as far as the Kepez Kızıllı area. Since it got dark, there is no aerial intervention. Homes in Yeşilkaraman and Karaöz have been evacuated as a precaution,” he said.

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It extended as far as the Kepez Kızıllı area. Since it got dark, there is no aerial intervention. Homes in Yeşilkaraman and Karaöz have been evacuated as a precaution.