Turkey's Erdogan faces mounting criticism over wildfires

As Turkish fire crews pressed ahead Tuesday with their weeklong battle against blazes tearing through forests and villages on the country's southern coast, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government faced increased criticism over its apparent poor response and inadequate preparedness for large-scale wildfires.

Firefighters on Tuesday were still tackling 11 fires in six provinces, including the coastal provinces of Antalya and Mugla that are popular tourist destinations. More than 150 fires that broke out in over 30 provinces since Wednesday have been put out, officials said. A senior Turkish forestry official described the wildfires as the worst in Turkey in living memory, though he could not say how many acres of forest land the fires had devoured. He also could not estimate how long it would take the crews to put the fires out, saying strong winds were reigniting flames that had previously been brought under control. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government regulations.