A right now thread

[Yambo]

It would appear the fire is just outside Marmaris, a few miles from the village and not as close as I feared. Still not good though.
The were a couple of big fires around Manavgat yesterday but that's a long way east. Arson is suspected there...

[Taipan]

Me and a few others are laughing our butts off as the H&S officer just tripped over his own bag. My colleague said to him, "Well fancy leaving that there"! Fecking priceless!

[slowsider]

It would appear the fire is just outside Marmaris, a few miles from the village and not as close as I feared. Still not good though.
The were a couple of big fires around Manavgat yesterday but that's a long way east. Arson is suspected there...

güvende kal, yambo

[wheelnut]

It would appear the fire is just outside Marmaris, a few miles from the village and not as close as I feared. Still not good though.
The were a couple of big fires around Manavgat yesterday but that's a long way east. Arson is suspected there...

On the hill between icmeler and marmaris - same place as a few weeks ago but this one looks a lot worse. Evacuating hotels in marmaris and armatulan.

[Skub]

Me and a few others are laughing our butts off as the H&S officer just tripped over his own bag.

I hope some sensitive soul advised him on more snug fitting underwear.

[Yambo]

güvende kal, yambo

Thanks. There's still smoke in the air and I can smell it now but it doesn't appear to be coming this way.

@wheelnut, I have friends stuck in Blue Port mall. Traffic stopped between there and Içmeler. It was burning well very near the Siteler bus terminus. Oh, and we have a power cut as well. Swimming time now I think.

[wheelnut]

@wheelnut, I have friends stuck in Blue Port mall. Traffic stopped between there and Içmeler. It was burning well very near the Siteler bus terminus. Oh, and we have a power cut as well. Swimming time now I think.

Looks like everyone in icmeler is being evacuated by boat to marmaris. I’ve seen a few fires there over the years but nothing like this.

[Yambo]

Lots of reports about fires near Bodrum, Datça and other places and also reports that the fires are deliberate - started by the PKK.

Local villages, Dereözü, Osmaniye and Bayır have been badly hit. No word on casualties yet..Turunç, where I live has been very lucky as the wind was in our favour. If it was deliberate someone needs topping.

[Count Steer]

Lots of reports about fires near Bodrum, Datça and other places and also reports that the fires are deliberate - started by the PKK.

Where are the reports that it's the PKK coming from?

[Yambo]

I asked the same question CS, people telling me that 4 people arrested in Marmaris and lots of Turks saying it's PKK. But, I've seen no official reports, just rumour.

Hopefully, things, and the sky, will be clearer in the morning.

[Pirahna]

I asked the same question CS, people telling me that 4 people arrested in Marmaris and lots of Turks saying it's PKK. But, I've seen no official reports, just rumour.

Hopefully, things, and the sky, will be clearer in the morning.

Just googled PKK and it auto fills the fires bit, so lots of people checking the rumours.

[Yambo]

A lovely morning here now, no smoke in the sky but some helicopter activity, damping down I guess.

Headline on the news coverage last night was "Are the fires sabotage?" Far too many of them to be cigarette butt's but if the government want us to believe it was deliberate they'll find some evidence. People in this area, Muğla province, don't trust the government and tend to not believe the propaganda but it's those same people who are immediately blaming the PKK. It'll make it easy for Recep.

Electricity is still off, 21 hours now so I guess I'll have to do some cooking and then re-freeze stuff. It's still not clear about the local villages but we were lucky, mostly from the wind direction and strength. Others not so lucky but again, no word yet of any casualties. Off to check some news channels now on my phone.

[wheelnut]

A lovely morning here now, no smoke in the sky but some helicopter activity, damping down I guess.

Headline on the news coverage last night was "Are the fires sabotage?" Far too many of them to be cigarette butt's but if the government want us to believe it was deliberate they'll find some evidence. People in this area, Muğla province, don't trust the government and tend to not believe the propaganda but it's those same people who are immediately blaming the PKK. It'll make it easy for Recep.

Electricity is still off, 21 hours now so I guess I'll have to do some cooking and then re-freeze stuff. It's still not clear about the local villages but we were lucky, mostly from the wind direction and strength. Others not so lucky but again, no word yet of any casualties. Off to check some news channels now on my phone.

One young lad killed in marmaris. In Icmeler there are a fair few houses damaged that were close to the forest in the old village. Not sure on Marmaris/Armatulan.

[Yambo]

I'm down in the village, still no electric and Internet hit and miss.

We now have fire on the hills immediately above us and it appears to be creeping down the hill. The helicopter crews are working their arses off presumably with worse areas. Might go out and sit on the boat if it comes closer. I have gas and electric out there, just need to take water and some food.

Lots of devastation all over SW Turkey. Not good.

[Count Steer]

I asked the same question CS, people telling me that 4 people arrested in Marmaris and lots of Turks saying it's PKK. But, I've seen no official reports, just rumour.

Hopefully, things, and the sky, will be clearer in the morning.

Just googled PKK and it auto fills the fires bit, so lots of people checking the rumours.

I had a delve around and wasn't (sadly) surprised by the way the Turkish media are spinning everything. Even if it's nothing to do with the PKK it will be pinned on them or some Facebook presence 'affiliated' to them*. (If it was them, then they should be shot of course).

There's one 'news aggregator' called 'toysmatrix' (!!) that appears to aggregate then completely lard everything with government propaganda. They don't cite their sources either.

Dunno what Attaturk would make of it all.

* Wouldn't Facebook have to take down anything claiming to be affiliated to a proscribed terrorist group?

[Skub]

I'm down in the village, still no electric and Internet hit and miss.

We now have fire on the hills immediately above us and it appears to be creeping down the hill. The helicopter crews are working their arses off presumably with worse areas. Might go out and sit on the boat if it comes closer. I have gas and electric out there, just need to take water and some food.

Lots of devastation all over SW Turkey. Not good.

Sounds rough. Here's hoping it's brought under control soon.

[Count Steer]

Wow! Just looking at footage. Marmaris looks like the gates of hell! Smoke is reaching Cyprus. Fingers crossed for all the folk involved.
It's suggested that Greece, Bulgaria and other places in the area are currently tinder boxes too.

Blimey!

[wheelnut]

I had a delve around and wasn't (sadly) surprised by the way the Turkish media are spinning everything. Even if it's nothing to do with the PKK it will be pinned on them or some Facebook presence 'affiliated' to them*. (If it was them, then they should be shot of course).

There's one 'news aggregator' called 'toysmatrix' (!!) that appears to aggregate then completely lard everything with government propaganda. They don't cite their sources either.

Dunno what Attaturk would make of it all.

* Wouldn't Facebook have to take down anything claiming to be affiliated to a proscribed terrorist group?

It does fit. They do have a history of setting forest fires. That’s not evidence of course but the coincidence of so many at the same time does raise questions.

You do get regular forest fires in that area but that’s the worst i’ve ever seen in 20 years. It’s heading over the hill towards yambo at the moment and it looks as though his village has been evacuated.

[wheelnut]

First one is taken from icmeler (out apt just to the left of shot, with turunc over the hill. Second one taken from the sea in between icmeler and turunc.

[Yambo]

Hi everyone, your concern is appreciated. Yesterday morning things changed and suddenly there were fires on the hillside above my house. The village has hills on 3 sides and the sea to the east. The hills behind the North corner where I live are steep with a lot of cliffs and re-entrants and the fires were on the edges of the cliffs. Down lower though I am surrounded by pine trees which go off like an oxy-acetylene torch.

I don't panic easy and running fuel tankers in the past and seaman trained I've done a bit of fire training so didn't rush around but checked the bag I'd already packed, added some bits, closed up the house and swam out to the boat. The lovely M joined me and we spent the evening watching the fires remain static a couple of hundred metres above my gaff.

A lot of what was burning was scrub so smouldering but around 6 am some pines over the top ridge caught and went a bit spectacular. The helicopter had just started working and dumped 3 bucket loads on it but there were other priorities I guess because they went elsewhere. It picked up again and the Russian or Ukrainian plane done 3 passes dropping a lot of water on the area. It's still burning but at the moment it's still well up the hill and around where I live is still green and lovely. I'll sleep on the boat again tonight and until it's all under control.

It could all go pear shaped of course if the wind changes but it's only things. I probably have too many things anyway. If this all goes down as terrorism I may not get an insurance claim so trust me this is just a natural event. Wear your masks