Another blaze in Fethiye, Turkey.
A blaze somehow ignited in the grass and rapidly spread up the slopes of Menderes mountain in Patlangiç part of Fethiye today. At least three fire engines and their crews fought to bring the fire under control and their efforts were joined by a helicopter crew.

Fortunately the fire teams and local people managed to put the fire out before too much damage was done but still approximately twenty thousand square meters of olive grove have suffered damage.

In the above picture you can see that the two fire engines have got up right close to the perimeter of the fire.

Below is a third engine providing safety to the nearby homes which have been endanged by the blaze.

With the help of the helicopter support, the flames are dowsed with sea water and rapidly brought under control. The fire was pretty much under control within an hour and a half, although quenching work continued for another couple of hours to ensure that it did not start up again.

Its very sad to see the land damaged by fire, below is a photo of the area before the devastaion. Notice how green and pleasant the land is. It is good that no-one was injured by the blaze, however, certainly there would have been loss of animal life. There are many wild tortoise in this region as well as rabbit and a type of fox. Some will no doubt have perished.

The result after the fire is clear - many of the olive trees will have been severly damaged. On a positive note though, the land will recover. It will take a few years but gradually the olive trees will send out new sprouts, fresh leaves will appear and the trees will even start to produce olives again.

Here is an interesting shot of the helicopter as it passed overhead. Notice that it seems to have a double set of rota blades. Looks like a new machine - so its good to see that there is investment in protecting the environment.

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