Big wildfire forces evacuations near Turkish Marmaris resort

By SUZAN FRASER
Associated Press

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — More than a thousand firefighters, aided by water-dropping planes and helicopters, are battling a wildfire that erupted overnight near a popular resort in southwestern Turkey forcing dozens of home evacuations. An official voiced hope Wednesday that the blaze — one year after the worst wildfires in Turkey’s history — was close to being tamed but urged caution due to the strong prevailing winds.The fi re erupted Tuesday evening in the Bordubet region, near Marmaris on Turkey’s Aegean coast. It spread rapidly, fanned by strong winds, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported. The smoke made its way over to the Greek island of Rhodes – a short ferry ride from Marmaris.