Presidency’s Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun released a statement regarding the Kemerköy Thermal Power Plant, which was damaged by the forest fire in Muğla's Milas district.
Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun noted the following in his statement:
“In the ongoing forest fire in Muğla Milas, the spread of the fire to Kemerköy Thermal Power Plant was prevented thanks to the intensive interventions made from land and air as of Wednesday, August 4, 2021; the fire was contained in the entire region as of 15.00 with intensive air intervention, land support and other general measures.
However, the fire restarted when the wind speed reached 60 kilometres per hour at 15.00, and this phase of the fire was also halted by air and land intervention. Nevertheless, the fire has spread to some areas of the power plant as a result of the intensifying and shifting wind after dark in the late afternoon.
Since it was foreseen that the incident would reach this point by subject matter experts, the power plant was deactivated in a controlled manner, and the temporary evacuation procedure for the personnel was initiated immediately.
Our President has been closely monitoring the situation since the first moment the fire threatened the power plant. Three ministers who had been in the field since the beginning, together with the plant managers, decided to evacuate in response to the recent developments and left the power plant once the evacuation was completed.
Following the evacuation, fire department emergency response teams conducted initial inspections to assess the situation at the power plant site and it was understood that no severe damage to the power plant's main units had occurred.
At this time, the emergency response teams continue to take all essential safety measures, as well as inspecting and cooling down the power plant site. Efforts to cool down from the air and land will continue in the morning.
At the fire scene, all required precautions have been taken to avoid any fatalities.”