Turkey is burning! The government has failed again: Why weren't helicopters used?
The lack of aerial intervention in the ongoing forest fires in the Gürsu and Kestel districts of Bursa has drawn the ire of citizens. While Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Uraloğlu stated that intervention would take place in the morning, the failure to use night-vision helicopters has been criticized.
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The forest fire that broke out in the Gürsu and Kestel districts of Bursa spiraled out of control in the evening due to the wind and continued to spread.
Following the struggle that lasted throughout the night, an evacuation order was issued for three neighborhoods in the Harmanlı region due to the fire spreading again. However, citizens and experts voiced harsh criticism regarding the aerial support, which they believe was insufficient in responding to the fire.
Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu stated that aerial firefighting efforts would continue effectively at sunrise. However, according to statements made in previous years, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's 2022 announcement that night-vision helicopters would be added to the inventory contradicts the lack of aerial vehicles used in firefighting.
In particular, the statement made by former Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Vahit Kirişçi in 2022, saying, "We will add 10 night-vision firefighting helicopters to our inventory on July 4," led to criticism from citizens if these helicopters were not used in this year's fires.
The night-vision helicopters that were not used in the intervention against the fire sparked a major backlash on social media. Citizens shared posts such as "Bursa is burning, Turkey is burning, Karabük is burning, the homeland is burning," criticizing the lack of aerial support in the fight against the fire. The decision to wait for morning during the hours when the fire was growing rapidly caused even more concern among the public.
The Bursa Governor's Office announced the number of citizens evacuated due to the fire. A total of 1,765 people were evacuated to safe areas, including 708 from Karahıdır Neighborhood, 600 from İğdir Neighborhood, and 457 from Avdancık Neighborhood in the Osmangazi district.
While the fight against the fire continued uninterrupted with 1,163 personnel and 496 vehicles, evacuation operations continued for the safety of the local people.
"WHY WEREN'T THE NIGHT-VISION HELICOPTERS USED?"
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry had previously reported in a response to a parliamentary question by CHP Bursa Deputy Nurhayat Altaca Kayışoğlu that "there are 5 firefighting helicopters equipped with night-vision equipment."
However, the fact that these helicopters were not used in Bursa, where the fire grew and more aerial support was needed during the night, became the focus of major public criticism. Citizens stated that the authorities did not intervene fully after the fire could not be brought under control.
"NIGHT-VISION" AERIAL VEHICLES REMAINED INSUFFICIENT IN THE FIGHT AGAINST THE FIRE
From the moment the fire first started, the lack of aerial intervention against the flames, which spread rapidly especially due to the wind, brought the question "why weren't the night-vision helicopters used?" to the agenda on social media.