Newsletters
Ten forest personnel and civil society volunteers died while battling a wildfire in Türkiye’s central city of Eskisehir, Seyitgazi district. The victims were caught in the flames during cooling operations after the blaze broke out Tuesday morning near the villages of Buyukyayla and Fethiye.
Speaking about the disaster, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said, "In the fire that started in Eskisehir, 19 forest workers and 5 AKUT members, a total of 24 people were trapped in the fire. While 14 of them were taken under treatment, 5 forestry workers and 5 AKUT members lost their lives."
Efforts continue to contain the forest fire, which has spread from Eskisehir’s Seyitgazi district to neighboring Afyonkarahisar province.
The wildfire, which started in a forested area near Seyitgazi’s Buyukyayla neighborhood, has reached the village of Saricaova in Afyonkarahisar’s Ihsaniye district.
Firefighting teams have been mobilized to respond to the blaze both on the ground and by air.
Türkiye has been sweltering under temperatures between 6 and 12 degrees Celsius above seasonal norms since Sunday.
Several wildfires have been reported across the country amid the extreme heat. Scientists have long warned that the burning of fossil fuels contributes to climate change, making extreme weather events such as heatwaves more frequent and more severe.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc announced that Eskisehir and Afyonkarahisar Chief Public Prosecutor's Offices initiated an investigation into the deadly forest fire.
"The investigation is being carried out in a multifaceted and meticulous manner," he said in a social media post.
1 min read
2 min read
