With fire contained, populated areas in SW Turkey safe

MUGLA, Turkey

With a forest fire in southwestern Turkey under control, there is no threat to populated areas, and holidaymakers can feel safe, said top Turkish officials on Friday.

"We’ve increased the number of fire-fighting helicopters from 13 to 19. As of today, containment of the forest fire is much better than on Thursday," said Agriculture and Forest Minister Bekir Pakdemirli.

Urging people to ignore misinformation, he added that with the fire contained, resort areas and hotels in the coastal hub are perfectly safe.

Before firefighters put it under control, the blaze in Dalaman, in the Mugla province, had burned some 350 hectares of forestland.

The fire has produced no casualties or property losses. Only a boutique hotel with no one in it suffered minor damage.

*Writing by Faruk Zorlu