“Bones, you know, littered the area that I was walking in around Quinn’s Post and so all you can do is scrape a little hole and rebury them.”
The RSA was asking that any remains found were respected and reinterred appropriately, Compain said.
Forty-five planes and helicopters, along with some 1400 forestry personnel, have been involved in trying to contain the wildfires raging in three provinces.
About one in six New Zealanders who landed on the peninsula - 2779 people - died.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the fire was brought under control before reaching most of the Gallipoli memorial site. There had been no damage to the memorials at Chunuk Bair, including the New Zealand National Memorial.
There was some fire damage to the belt of trees and shrubs at the New Zealand Number 2 Outpost cemetery and to some trees near the northern entry to the Anzac Commemorative Site, where the Dawn Service was held each year. The rest of the site was unaffected, the ministry said.
The spokesperson thanked Turkish emergency services who responded to the fire and said the ministry regretted any wider damage to the countryside.
They said MFAT’s team in Ankara was in touch with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and Turkish officials.
APP reported that Turkish officials said the fire was started by a spark from electricity lines that spread through forested areas.
Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said teams were still fighting 17 of 47 forest fires that were active on Friday, AP reported.
Innovative Travel specialises in World War I and II commemorative tours and managing director Robyn Galloway said the company would work with Turkish companies to assess when it was safe for people to visit again.
“Hopefully it won’t be too long I mean, the area’s obviously going to be very burnt out, but we’re just going to have to wait and see.”
Next year will be the 110th anniversary of the Gallipoli invasion.
- RNZ
