UPDATE - Firefighters battling to contain fire in SW Turkey

UPDATES WITH REMARKS ON FOREST FIRE

By Hamdi Celikbas

MUGLA/ANKARA, Turkey (AA) - Firefighters are battling to contain a forest fire which erupted in southwestern Turkey.

The fire broke out on Wednesday in Dalaman, in the Mugla province, for unknown reasons and has so far burned some 350 hectares of forestland, the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry said in a statement.

A total of 520 firefighters, 105 water tankers, and 18 bulldozers battled the flames, which wind helped spread to the nearby town of Fethiye.

There have been no casualties from the fire.

Nearly 34 houses were evacuated for safety reasons, Mugla Governor Esengul Civelek told Anadolu Agency.

Speaking to reporters in Mugla early Thursday, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said firefighters had gotten the blaze under control.

There were no casualties or property losses, he added, saying that only a boutique hotel with no one in it had suffered minor damage.