US Has Not Received Request From Turkey To Assist In Fighting Wildfires - FEMA

US Has Not Received Request From Turkey to Assist in Fighting Wildfires - FEMA

The US authorities have not received any request from Turkey to provide assistance in fighting wildfires, a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) spokesperson told Sputnik on Friday

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th July, 2021) The US authorities have not received any request from Turkey to provide assistance in fighting wildfires, a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) spokesperson told Sputnik on Friday.

"Wild land firefighting falls within the purview of the US Forest Service in coordination with the National Interagency Fire Center, which to date we have confirmed has not received a request from the government of Turkey," the spokesperson said.

The United States may send technical specialists and equipment to other countries to assist with wildfire suppression, incident management and post-fire rehabilitation efforts at the request of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and several other government entities, he added.

Earlier in the week, fires flared up in the Mediterranean and Aegean regions of Turkey. The Turkish authorities said four people have been confirmed dead and 183 injured.

In the popular Turkish resorts of Bodrum and Marmaris, several hotels were evacuated due to massive fires. Bodrum Mayor Ahmet Aras told Sputnik that the fire in the suburbs was contained and all evacuated tourists returned to their hotels.

On Friday, Minister of Forestry and Agriculture Bekir Pakdemirli said that 20 wildfires were still raging in six southern provinces of Turkey, while 42 fires had been contained.