BOZALAN, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government is facing increased criticism over its apparent poor response and inadequate preparedness for large-scale wildfires that have left eight people dead and forced thousands to flee their homes in southern coastal resorts. Fire crews, meanwhile, pressed ahead with their weeklong battle against the blazes that have been fed by strong winds and scorching temperatures. A senior Turkish forestry official described the wildfires as the worst in Turkey in living memory. Anger turned toward the government, which admitted that it did not have a firefighting aircraft fleet. Opposition parties accused the government of failing to procure fire-fighting planes while spending money instead on construction projects that they say harm the environment.
Turkey’s Erdogan faces mounting criticism over wildfires
