Governor Yavuz: 14 villages evacuated, 613 households cleared due to fires
Karabük Governor Mustafa Yavuz announced that 14 villages have been evacuated and 613 households cleared due to fires affecting the Ovacık and Safranbolu districts, with 1,006 residents living in these homes relocated to safe areas.
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In his assessment, Governor Yavuz stated that the fires, which began almost simultaneously in Kışla Village in the Ovacık district and the Çavuşlar neighborhood in the Safranbolu district, spread to large areas in a short time due to the wind, threatening some villages in both Ovacık and the central district. Noting that the response to the fire is being carried out with difficulty in the rugged, rocky terrain covered with valleys, Yavuz said, "The fact that the two fires started at almost the same hours caused us to distribute our manpower and equipment to both regions at once. However, all our teams are working with great sacrifice."
Governor Yavuz stated that only in Kamış Village, among the evacuated villages, were some houses, barns, and haylofts damaged by the fire, with 20 independent units affected in this village. He emphasized that the other villages were evacuated entirely as a preventive security measure. Noting that some of the evacuated citizens are being hosted at the Youth and Sports Provincial Directorate camp in the Ovacık district, while others are staying in dormitories in the center of Karabük and at the homes of their relatives, Yavuz said, "We will safely settle our citizens back into their homes after we have completely brought the fire under control and completed the cooling efforts."
"CONTAINER SHIPMENTS HAVE BEGUN FOR OUR CITIZENS WHOSE HOMES WERE DAMAGED"
Reporting that a total of 363 vehicles and 1,386 personnel are responding to the fires, Governor Yavuz stated that 5 personnel affected by smoke were treated and have returned to their duties, and that one person has been detained by the gendarmerie in connection with the fire in Kışla Village, with the judicial process ongoing. Stating that damage assessment efforts are continuing, Yavuz said, "Container shipments have begun for our citizens whose homes were damaged. Emergency support allowances have been deposited into accounts. Our state will never leave its citizens alone; no one will be left aggrieved."