ANKARA, Turkey — A volunteer firefighter died Wednesday after assisting emergency crews battling a major wildfire in Turkey’s Mediterranean coastal province of Antalya, an official said.
The fire began Monday in Antalya’s Aksu district and, driven by strong winds, spread into the neighboring Kepez district, forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate. The cause has not been determined.
Hasan Kahya, an Aksu resident helping firefighters combat the blaze, suffered a heart attack after being affected by smoke and later died in hospital, Aksu Mayor Isa Yildirim said.
Two people were hospitalized Tuesday with burns to their legs, while six others received treatment for smoke inhalation. More than 100 dogs were evacuated from an animal shelter in Aksu.
Turkey’s forestry directorate said Wednesday that operations to control the fire were continuing and that its intensity had been reduced. At least three firefighting aircraft, nine helicopters, 169 fire trucks and more than 1,000 firefighters were deployed, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.
Firefighters were also responding to a separate wildfire in the Kozan district of southern Adana province, where hundreds of residents were evacuated, the forestry directorate said.