Weather conditions on August 4 2008 are to contribute to Turkish fire-fighters' efforts to extinguish a major forest fire rampaging in Turkey's southern tourist-centre province of Antalya for five days, experts say.

“The winds are expected to subside by noon, and humidity levels are also forecast to rise. This will help our efforts to extinguish the fire,” spokesman for the provincial directorate of forestry Aydogan Turedi told Anatolian agency, as quoted by daily Hurriyet. Turedi explained the fire was partially contained and efforts to put it out continued in the villages of Cardak and Sagirin.

“Thousands of people, including fire-fighters, local forestry officials and residents have been involved in tackling the fire all night. They have been backed by six helicopters and aircrafts began backing the teams after dawn [...] The fire in the woodland near the historical site of Olympos is still continuing. The site's location on a rocky place in the hills makes it difficult to tackle the fire,” he added.

The fire started on July 31 in the town of Serik and has so far engulfed 4 000 hectares of forests. It caused the death of one person, another is reported missing. Six villages were evacuated, 60 houses, dozens of farming buildings, a school and a mosque were devoured, along with a lot of livestock, Hurriyet said.

On August 3, governor of Antalya Alaaddin Yuksel announced the fire has been largely brought under control.

Every year about 7 million tourists visit Antalya, a province rich with sites and ruins of historical and archaeological importance.