Forest fire in Silivri started from a barbecue, 1 person detained

A fire that broke out in a brush area in the Çanta Balaban neighborhood of Silivri around 15:00 spread to agricultural and forest lands due to the effect of the wind. Numerous fire crews from various districts of Istanbul were dispatched to the region.

Struggling to bring the flames under control, the teams requested aerial support. The Regional Directorate of Forestry, AFAD, and fire crews intervened in the fire with 2 firefighting aircraft, 7 water tenders, 21 vehicles, and 74 personnel.

The teams made intense efforts to prevent the fire from spreading to residential areas. While it was learned that the fire was prevented from reaching residential areas, helicopters are also participating in the efforts.

"WHILE HAVING A BARBECUE, DRY GRASS IGNITED DUE TO THE WIND"

Istanbul Governor Davut Gül, who went to the site of the fire extinguishing efforts, made statements.

Stating that the flames spread to the brush area and the fire grew while a person was having a barbecue in their garden, Gül said, "Yes, unfortunately, this fire broke out in Silivri. While one of our fellow citizens was having a barbecue in their garden, the dry grass ignited due to the effect of the wind. As a result, this scene you see emerged. From the very first moment of the incident, our Minister of Agriculture, in particular, and the entire ministry organization organized the matter. As you can see, our aircraft and helicopters are intervening. Under the coordination of our Regional Directorate of Forestry, the fire is being intervened with the support of the fire department, the district municipality, the gendarmerie, the police, public institutions and organizations, and more importantly, volunteers. As you can see, our fellow citizens are taking their tractors and construction equipment to support the extinguishing of this fire here; I thank them separately," he said.

Stating that there is significant damage related to the incident and that one person has been detained, Governor Gül said, "We will all strive to extinguish the fire together. As of now, we have no injuries. The evacuation of houses and residential areas where the fire might spread is continuing rapidly. Since it is during daylight hours, citizens saw that the fire had broken out and are aware. We continue our announcements, and we continue to follow the situation on-site with our colleagues. Because there is very significant damage in the incident, the detention process and other procedures are ongoing," he said.

Efforts to extinguish the fire are continuing.