29/06/2008
ANKARA, Turkey -- A huge forest fire erupted on Friday (June 27th) near the resort of Marmaris on Turkey's Aegean seashore. Fuelled by strong winds, the fire threatened hotel buildings before fire-fighters managed to get the situation under control. According to local media reports, the fire started around 3pm local time in the region of Armutalan. The cause was not immediately clear. Helicopters and vehicles took part in the operation to extinguish the flames, which came as close as 200m to the hotel. The guests of two others hotels in the region were evacuated. Turkey has been hit by extreme heat in the past days, with temperature in many regions especially near seashores, reaching 40 degrees Celsius.
In other news Friday, four people were killed and 12 were injured in an attack against a public minibus in eastern Turkey. According to the Anadolu news agency, gunmen opened fire on the vehicle in the Van province. While local authorities do not rule out an attack by the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party, the Dogan news agency says the attack stemmed from a blood feud. (NTV, Reuters, AP, Anadolu news agency, Dogan - 27/06/08)