Minister Yumaklı's statement on forest fires: 12 hours are critical

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı made statements regarding forest fires at the Fire Management Center in Ankara.

Yumaklı stated that the wind speed reached 50 kilometers per hour in the fire that started in the Geyve district of Sakarya, noting that the flames reached the borders of Bilecik and spread into the borders of Osmaneli.

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı said, "In the afternoon, the speed of the fire increased in unstable directions. With winds of 50 kilometers per hour, flare-ups occurred as flames jumped to unburned areas. The fire has reached the borders of Bilecik and continues within the borders of Osmaneli."

"THE FIRE HAS REACHED THE BORDERS OF BILECIK AND CONTINUES WITHIN THE BORDERS OF OSMANELI"

Stating that the fire in Kurtköy, Bilecik, has been largely brought under control and cooling efforts are continuing, Minister Yumaklı said, "There is a fire in Sakarya Geyve that started in a non-forest area and spread to the forest. In the first stage, the extinguishing of the fire began with 8 aircraft, 14 helicopters, and ground vehicles, with the coordination of AFAD and the contributions of other institutions. Unfortunately, due to heavy fog and smoke, our aircraft could not enter the area where the fire was located until 11:00 this morning.

However, with the clearing of the fog and smoke around 11:00, aerial and ground interventions continued. During this process, the villages of Taşoluk, Hacılar, and Kızılöz, which posed a risk, were evacuated as a precaution. In these villages, 3 houses, 1 barn, 1 haystack, and 4 abandoned dwellings were damaged. There is no loss of life.

Unfortunately, the ecosystem in this area is being seriously damaged; our lungs are burning. With the interventions, there was an optimistic picture towards noon. In the afternoon, the speed of the fire increased in unstable directions. With winds of 50 kilometers per hour, flare-ups occurred as flames jumped to unburned areas. The fire has reached the borders of Bilecik and continues within the borders of Osmaneli.

After 22:00 tonight, the wind speed will drop to 10 kilometers or less. This factor is very important in our teams' fight against the fire. Because the unstable wind caused our teams intervening in the fire to face danger. I would like to state that the next 12 hours are very critical.

I think we will get positive results towards the morning hours. We see that fires are breaking out in places where the risk level of fire is low," he said.