Suspects who started forest fires in 4 villages in Mersin caught: 'The construction site will stop, and we won't go to work'

Forest fires that occurred on August 15 in the İmamuşağı, Çadırlı, Mukaddem, and Bolacalıkoyuncu neighborhoods of the Silifke district in Mersin were brought under control on the same day. In the investigation launched regarding the fire, it was determined that two suspects had left the marble construction site where they worked under the pretext of going to the hospital and started fires along 4 routes they traveled by motorcycle. The suspects, R.K. and I.O., were arrested.

R.K. recounted the details of the incident in his statement as follows:

"We left the workplace by telling the cook that a scorpion had stung my hand and that we were going to the hospital for treatment. I.O. drove my motorcycle. 500 meters later, I.O. gave the bike to me. After a while, he asked me to stop. Then he got off the motorcycle, saying, 'There are power cables going to the workplace over there. Let's burn this place. The electricity will go out. Then we won't come to work tomorrow.' He bent down with a lighter, ignited the bushes in the forest, and then came back to me. 500 meters later, I.O. asked me to stop the motorcycle again. I.O. got off the motorcycle and walked toward the forest. After climbing the slope, he bent down and ignited the brushwood. Then we continued on our way again."

The other arrested suspect, I.O., claimed that he had been stung by a scorpion at the workplace on the day of the incident, said "We were drunk," and blamed R.K. for burning the forest. It was noted that the investigation into the incident is ongoing.