ISTANBUL: Firefighters sought to containa wildfire in southwestern Turkey from land and air on Friday asthe blaze raged on for a third day, with windy conditionsfanning the flames and spreading them through a forested area.

Scenes of burning woodland near the Aegean coastal resort ofMarmaris sparked fears of a repeat of last year’s fires thatdevastated some 140,000 hectares (345,950 acres) across theregion.

Reuters footage showed smoke billowing from hills as theblaze spread through the woodlands in the sparsely populatedarea, with helicopters and planes dropping water on the flamesthroughout the day.

Police helped firefighters with water cannon vehicles asthey sought to put out the fire that began around 8 pm (1700GMT) on Tuesday and affected more than 3,400 hectares of land.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said one person had beendetained and that he had admitted to burning down the forest outof frustration due to family issues.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said late on Thursday that 29people had been affected by the fire, with two people stillreceiving treatment in hospital.

Some 274 people were evacuated as a precaution, officialshave said.

Human-induced climate change is making heat waves morelikely and more severe, scientists say.

Last summer’s wildfires, most of which were also nearMarmaris, were the most intense in Turkey on record, a EuropeanUnion atmosphere monitor said last year, adding that theMediterranean had become a wildfire hot spot.

President Tayyip Erdogan’s government was criticised forbeing unprepared to fight the fires last year, especially due toa lack of planes and helicopters. It responded by saying thewildfires were the worst in Turkey’s history.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, head of the main opposition RepublicanPeople’s Party (CHP), said on Wednesday the government was“incompetent” and had not prepared for the fires since lastyear.