We reported recently on the soaring temperatures in Kalkan.  According to meterological experts, there is much more to come in 2010.  This is an El Nino year - so expect a very hot summer.

Quite apart from personal discomfort in the heat, Turkish authorities are warning people to take care when in the countryside, to avoid the possibility of forest fires.

Around 90% of forest fires in Turkey take place between 1st May and 30th October, so the Turkish Foundation for Reforestation, Protection of Natural Habitats and Combating Soil Erosion (TEMA), is asking people to take common sense precautions, especially during these months.

Below: The forest fire in Patara, July 2008, as viewed from Kalkan.

Tips from TEMA include:

• If you are having a picnic in the countryside, cook food before you go - don't take a BBQ.
• Do not throw away lit cigarettes and matches.
• Do not throw away glass (bottles etc), which can magnify the rays of the sun, and start fires.
• Be prepared to extinguish small fires yourself.
• In a fire emergency, phone 177 (the forest fire notification line), 156 (Jandarma) or 155 (Police).

Turkey's Forestry Directorate spends a huge amount every year on fighting and preventing forest fires.  We should all do what we can to support them, by behaving responsibly during the hot summer season.

Below: Fire fighting planes, photographed in the summer of 2009, scooping water up from Kalamar Bay.