Turkey wildfires: Erdogan declares coastal regions 'disaster areas'

Four people have died as the country reels from the devastation wreaked by the fires. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the country "will continue to take all necessary steps to heal our nation's wounds."

Wildfires continued to cause devastation in Turkey on Saturday as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared the affected regions "disaster areas."

As Turkish emergency forces continued to battle massive forest fires for a fourth consecutive day, Erdogan tweeted: "We have declared our regions affected by forest fires as 'Disaster Areas Affecting General Life.' We will continue to take all necessary steps to heal our nation's wounds, compensate for its losses, and improve its opportunities even better than before."

Of the 98 fires that have broken out in numerous provinces since Wednesday, 88 have been brought under control.

'Even higher temperatures' to come

Dorian Jones, DW's correspondent in Turkey, said the weather was against the firefighters.

"The firefighters are already

battling in inferno conditions, with these fires being whipped up by these strong, powerful, dry winds, which continue to create a trail of death and destruction," he said.

"And with the forecasts predicting even higher temperatures, the firefighters know they're in for a very long fight."

Fires, COVID leave tourism industry reeling

The fires are particularly serious on the Turkish Mediterranean coast. Many regions and hotels have been evacuated and tourists, unable to use roads due to the blazes, were brought to safety by boats.

Three of the fires still active are in the popular holiday region of Antalya.

Jones said Turkey's tourism industry, still reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, has been dealt a "hammer blow" by the fires.

Arson not ruled out

The cause of the blazes is still unclear. Turkish authorities are investigating all possibilities, including that the fires were started intentionally.

Jones said that "because several of these fires started in quick succession, it has led authorities to suspect possible foul play."

The fires have resulted in four deaths so far, but with 10 infernos still active that toll may still rise.

Firefighters and villagers have been struggling to contain the fires for four days