Death toll in stubble fire tragedy rises to 14

The fire turned an area equivalent to 2,100 football fields into ash. Stating that the fire did not originate from power transmission lines, Dicle Elektrik filed a criminal complaint against the person who claimed otherwise.

The death toll in the fire disaster affecting Diyarbakır and Mardin has risen to 14. Kerime Erdenli (55) and Fadıl Demir (57), who were receiving treatment in hospitals, have lost their lives.

The village of Yücebağ in Mardin suffered the highest number of casualties. As the villagers tried to stop the fire approaching their homes with their own means, they were caught between the flames and smoke.

The wind was very strong, and the loss was significant following the flames that spread over a wide area. The 8 people who lost their lives were laid to rest in Yücebağ.

It is stated that the fire spread after a stubble fire that was set got out of control.

SURVIVORS OF THE FIRE THAT KILLED 14 PEOPLE DESCRIBE THE TERRIFYING MOMENTS

The stubble and ground fire that broke out around 22:15 on June 20 in the rural Köksalan neighborhood of Diyarbakır's Çınar district spread to the Bağacık and Yazçiçeği neighborhoods, as well as the Yücebağ, Yetkinler, and Şenyuva neighborhoods of Mardin's Mazıdağı district. 14 people lost their lives and 78 people were affected in the stubble and ground fire, which started for a reason yet to be determined.

Şemdin Demir, who lost 9 relatives in the fire, said that on the night of the fire, they went from the village of Yücebağ, where he resided, to the Köksalan neighborhood with his relatives to try to extinguish the flames. Stating that the flames were advancing at 200 meters per second, Şemdin Demir said, “We saw that a fire had broken out on the side of Köksalan neighborhood around 22:00 at night. We went to that neighborhood to help. There was a lot of wind that night. 

It was so strong that we gave up on the barley and wheat burning. We gave up on the crops so that people and animals would not burn. We went to save the shepherds, my cousins, who were caught in the middle of the flames. While we were trying to save them, the wind turned in the opposite direction and the fire suddenly started coming towards us. The flames were advancing at 200 meters per second. A whirlwind was taking the flames into it and advancing like that. It was very intense. While escaping from the fire, what happened, happened. Some were saved, some lost their lives,” he said.

"IF THEY COULD HAVE RUN 40 METERS MORE, THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN SAVED"

Stating that they rescued his cousin Abdurrezak Demir (50) from the flames while he was injured, Şemdin Demir said, “Only one person from our village is currently receiving treatment in the hospital. That is my cousin. All our other relatives lost their lives. While our relatives were trying to save the shepherds and sheep in Köksalan village, they were also caught in the flames due to the effect of the wind. If they could have run about 40 meters more, they would have thrown themselves into the onion field and would not have burned. The fire was jumping from one hill to another. It was not moving slowly. The wind was throwing those sparks 500 meters ahead. The fire spread everywhere in about 20 minutes,” he stated.

Davut Demir (48), the older brother of the injured Abdurrezak Demir, said that the flames constantly changed direction due to the wind. Davut Demir, saying “I was going to be caught in the flames while trying to help,” described the night of the incident as follows:

“We were sleeping on the roof of our house during the fire. There was an extreme wind around 9 o'clock that night. Imagine, it was such a wind that I was holding my children so they wouldn't fall. That night, lightning was striking towards the Köksalan side, our neighboring village in Diyarbakır province. Later, when I looked towards Köksalan village, the night had literally turned into day. People in our village also started to panic. We, as villagers, went to Köksalan neighborhood to extinguish that fire. We went because if we didn't go to help, the fire would spread to our crops too. We usually go to help whichever village has a stubble fire. Due to the extreme wind, the flames were constantly changing direction. When I saw that moment, I told everyone to get in the cars and run. As soon as we got in the car, the fire started to spread from the air due to the wind. At that moment, a taxi was caught in the flames. I was going to be caught in the flames while trying to help. I got on the tractor and got out of the flames without stopping.”

"SOME OF THE BODIES WERE UNDER THE ELECTRICITY POLES"

Demir said, “When I arrived at Köksalan village, we started looking for the bodies. Because while going from the hill to the village, there were many people walking with lights in their hands in the middle of the flames. We guessed that they had lost their lives. Later, we waited for the smoke to decrease. With the smoke losing its effect a little, we started searching for bodies in the burnt fields. We found many bodies that were a short distance apart. Some of the bodies were under the electricity poles. They are most likely those who climbed the electricity pole and fell because they could not withstand the heat of those flames,” he said.

Stating that all 9 of his relatives who lost their lives were close relatives and were buried side by side, Davut Demir said, “The 9 people who lost their lives in Yücebağ neighborhood are my close relatives. One of the injured is my brother. He is currently receiving treatment at Diyarbakır Gazi Yaşargil Training and Research Hospital. My brother Abdurrezak Demir (50) was caught in the flames while driving a tractor that night.

At that moment, the flames from the sides of the tractor jumped to his arm, head, and abdominal area. Later, he pulled himself out of the flames and threw himself into the onion field. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been saved either,” he said.

STATEMENT FROM DICLE ELEKTRIK

Another claim was that the fire might have been caused by energy transmission lines. A statement regarding the matter came from Dicle Elektrik.

Stating that the fire did not originate from power transmission lines, the company filed a criminal complaint against the person who claimed that the fire was caused by power transmission lines.

The investigation is continuing in a multi-faceted manner. The fire affected an area of approximately 2,100 football fields in Diyarbakır and Mardin. More than half of this was land in the form of harvested stubble.

The irrigation equipment, pipes, and electrical infrastructure of the local people in the fields were also damaged.

Damage assessment is being carried out through the Provincial Directorates of Agriculture and Forestry of both provinces.