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At least 10 firefighters and rescue workers were killed, and 14 were injured on Wednesday while trying to contain wildfires in northwestern Turkey, the country’s forestry minister said.
A fire broke out in a forest area in Esquise Hill. Ibrahim Yumakuri of the Ministry of Forestry said that five of the deaths were forestry staff and five were members of the Akut Rescue Organization.
Death brings Turkey wildfire The 13 deaths this year are 13 due to strong winds, extreme heat and fueled flames spreading in dry conditions.
Yumakli said the flames had engulfed the group due to a sudden change in wind direction. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
“From tomorrow, we are facing extraordinary temperatures and extreme wind changes. Once again, I call on all 86 million citizens to be vigilant and special attention,” he said.
Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan said the victims fought “to sacrifice their lives to protect our forests.”
The country’s justice minister said two prosecutors had been assigned to investigate the case.
Turkey has been fighting wildfires since June 26th. Earlier this month, an elderly man and two forestry workers were killed in a flame near the town of Odemis in Izmir.
Authorities said on Wednesday that seven wildfires are still active across the country.
Turkey often faces bushfires over the summer months amid rising temperatures. Particularly in central Anatolia, the Aegean and Mediterranean regions threaten both natural and human life. In 2021, the largest forest fire destroyed hundreds of thousands of hectares of land.
Experts warn that such fires are becoming more frequent and destructive due to climate change.
