Turkey wildfires: Scottish teacher speaks of terrifying moment she was caught up in devastating fire

A teacher from Scotland has spoken of her terror after being caught up in wildfires in Turkey that have killed multiple people and forced hundreds to evacuate.

Flames have ripped through tourist resorts and villages on Turkey’s southern coast over the last week causing mass devastation to the country.

The death toll rose to eight on Sunday as firefighters battled for a fifth day to contain blazes still raging in the coastal resort towns.

Amy Hutchinson from Aberdeen works as a teacher in the town of Içmeler, near the resort of Marmaris, where the temperature measured 42C on Monday.

Speaking to BBC Scotland, the 26-year-old said she had “never been so scared” after being forced to leave her home on Thursday due to the raging flames.

She said: “It just happened to quickly.

"The fire was bad and the smoke was black and within about ten minutes we were completely surrounded by red fire.

People run away from the fire-devastated Sirtkoy village, near Manavgat, Antalya, Turkey, Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021. (AP Photo)

“It looked like a war zone. The sky was completely red.

"The ash was like snow falling on to the ground."

Ms Hutchinson was evacuated to a hotel overnight last Thursday and has since been able to return home, but her electricity has been on and off which is causing issues in the local village.

It has been reported that most of more than 100 blazes that erupted in Turkey in the last five days have been contained, according to local authorities.

But Ms Hutchinson said fires are still burning strong and surrounding countries are assisting in putting them out as temperatures continue to increase.

Reports say investigations are underway to try and establish the cause of the fires.

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