Turkey spent only fraction of forest protection budget before wildfires erupted

FILE PHOTO: A firefighter tries to extinguish a wildfire near Marmaris, Turkey, August 1, 2021. REUTERS/Umit Bektas TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish authorities battling the country's worst ever wildfires have been accused of failing to prepare for the threat after official data showed they spent only a fraction of the modest funds budgeted to prevent forest fires this year.

Eight people have been killed in the fires which have swept through Turkey's southwestern coastal regions, forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people including tourists and briefly threatening to engulf a power plant.