Turkey: Eynif Plain yilki wild horses in danger as wildfires spread along country's south

Herald August 12, 2021

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Wildfires have spread to Golcuk Plateau, in southern Turkey, on Thursday, raging in an area where herds of wild horses are living.

Fuelled by strong winds and hot temperatures, the fire has reached the Eynif plain and continues to spread fast. Wild horses that are located in the region are as much affected as the domestic cattle from local farmers.

Residents are calling for help from authorities to protect their villages and the animals local to the vast valleys of the mountains.

"No precautions were taken and no intensive intervention was made. Not even airborne intervention. We are here for three hours. Unfortunately, we haven't see any plane or helicopter. The fire must be stopped and prevented as soon as possible. We expect help from all authorities," said a resident of the village of Ibradi.

With no support from state authorities, the villagers have been setting up their own rescue and fire-fighting operations. "This fire is huge. All our teams declared mobilisation. They are all on their way here now. We will come with at least six or seven vehicles. Our civilian team is also here. They're all trying. We'll put out the fire here," said a member of the civilian rescue team.

The wildfires spreading along the country's southern coast have forced thousands to evacuate.

SOUNDBITES:

SOT, Resident of Ibradi village (Turkish): "Here is Eynif plain Ibradi, Antalya. As you can see, the mountains behind me are on fire. Thousands of horses live here. At the same time the villagers' cows, sheep, goats graze and live here. Now the fire puts the mountains at risk."

SOT, Resident of Ibradi village (Turkish): "No precautions were taken and no intensive intervention was made. Not even airborne intervention. We are here for three hours. Unfortunately, we haven't see any plane or helicopter. The fire must be stopped and prevented as soon as possible. We expect help from all authorities."

SOT, Civilian rescue team member (Turkish): "The Animals are safe now but this fire is a threat. I mean, if the fire reaches Ibradi, it will be bad. Because Ibradi is a place with a lot of settlements. It threatens us everywhere. Our animals are safe now but we definitely need to stop the fire. This fire goes from here to Isparta."

SOT, Civilian rescue team member (Turkish): "This fire is huge. All our teams declared mobilisation. They are all on their way here now. We will come with at least six or seven vehicles. Our civilian team is also here. They're all trying. We'll put out the fire here."

#GolcukPlateau #EynifPlain #TurkeyWildfires #Turkey

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