Turkey Battles Raging Fires as People Count the Cost

ISTANBUL - Thousands of Turkish firefighters are battling for a fifth day against raging fires that are threatening some of Turkey's main tourist resorts. Six people have  already died in the fires.

A child cries fire, fire, as a family drives through the night trying to escape the surrounding inferno in Turkey’s Marmaris region. The video has gone viral in Turkey.   Firefighters backed by helicopters are battling raging fires across Turkey's Mediterranean and Aegean regions, home to some of Europe's most prominent tourist resorts. Record high temperatures and powerful dry winds are hampering their efforts. Authorities have issued evacuation orders for tourists in some resorts. One of the worst-affected areas is Turkey's Bodrum resort. Bodrum resident Melis Birder spoke to VOA Sunday.  “I feel terrible; we are under stress because it's very hot here," said Birder. "The one that started in Muscular on the airport road in Bodrum is still spreading; the others have been put down. As the wind is picking up, it's getting more dangerous again. Some people are very stressed, very sad. On the other hand, I was hearing party music from the shore last night.”  The fires are dealing a hammer blow to Turkey's vital tourism industry, still trying to recover from losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many farmers, too, have been devastated by the fires. This farmer, who didn't want to be identified, in Turkey's Manavgat region, is traumatized by the experience.