10 workers martyred in forest fires: Osmaneli Mayor's 'They ran away' comment draws backlash

With the onset of the summer months, Turkey has entered a difficult period of battling forest fires. While forest fires in the provinces of Sakarya, Bilecik, Eskişehir, and Karabük have caused major destruction, the rapidly spreading flames continue to threaten the environment. A total of 4,231 personnel, 45 aircraft, and 1,236 land vehicles are engaged in the fight against the fires.

10 FOREST WORKERS MARTYRED

In Eskişehir, 10 forest workers lost their lives while battling forest fires. The martyrdom of the forest workers has caused great sorrow across all of Turkey. The pain of the workers who lost their lives while responding to the fire has once again highlighted how critical the struggle they waged to protect the green homeland is.

2,619 PEOPLE EVACUATED IN THE FIGHT AGAINST FIRES

In the regions affected by the fires, 2,619 people were evacuated to safe areas. Intense efforts are being made in the ongoing operations to bring the fires under control. However, the difficulties faced by forestry teams have become a subject of debate in some places.

OSMANELİ MAYOR'S CONTROVERSIAL REMARKS

The statements made by Osmaneli Mayor Bekir Torun regarding the teams responding to the forest fires in Bilecik have drawn significant backlash. In a live broadcast on his social media accounts, Torun criticized the forestry teams for leaving the area, stating the following:

"Friends, İçmeler is burning. There were approximately 12 fire trucks here. They literally ran away from here while shouting. Look, we are extinguishing it with one vehicle here. The men who were hired to fight forest fires were scared and ran away from here crying."

News Source: 12punto