Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Yumaklı: We have 3 fires that started in Turkey today

Yumaklı stated, "Today, we have battled 54 fires across the country, 22 of which were in forested areas and 32 in non-forested areas.

51 of these have been brought under control. There are three fires that started today and are still ongoing. These are the fires continuing in Eskişehir Seyitgazi, the second near the center of Karabük in Çukurca, and in İzmir Urla," he said.

The fire, which started 3 days ago in the forested area between the Geyve and Pamukova districts of Sakarya, had spread to the Osmaneli district of Bilecik due to the intensity of the wind. Following the fire, the villages of Büyükyenice, Kazancı, and Borcak in the district were evacuated as a precaution. Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı arrived in the region today and received information from officials at the coordination center.

In his statement here, Minister Yumaklı said, "The villages of Büyükyenice, Kazancı, and Borcak were evacuated as a precaution. Returns have begun in a controlled manner in the villages of Taşoluk and Hacılar in Sakarya as there is no longer any risk. 340 of our citizens in the villages of Kızılöz, Büyükyenice, Kazancı, and Borcak within the borders of the Osmaneli district of Bilecik were taken to a safe zone as a precaution. In these villages, 6 small-scale structures used as warehouses were damaged, according to our current assessments by AFAD.

With the fire reaching the center of the Osmaneli district, the D-650 highway was closed as a precaution and traffic was diverted to the Osmaneli district center. During the fire, our aerial vehicles were unable to operate due to heavy smoke and fog until 11:00 a.m. The wind, reaching speeds of nearly 50 kilometers per hour, was unstable; it unfortunately created an environment where we took positions thinking it was moving in a certain direction, but then it turned in the opposite direction, putting our teams in danger from time to time.

Throughout the day, we have been continuing our struggle with all our might with 8 aircraft, 14 helicopters, 370 land vehicles, various types of equipment, and 1,500 personnel. There were flare-ups in areas that had been extinguished previously. Our teams fought at four different points. While there is no longer any risk in two of them, the fires at the other two points are continuing. All our colleagues will continue their intervention throughout the night, and they have taken the necessary precautions. I would like to state here that there is no risk regarding the Osmaneli district center."

"THERE ARE THREE FIRES THAT STARTED TODAY AND ARE ONGOING"

Minister Yumaklı said, "Apart from this fire that started in Sakarya and moved to Bilecik, our teams also fought fires in different provinces. Today, we have battled 54 fires across the country, 22 of which were in forested areas and 32 in non-forested areas. 51 of these have been brought under control. There are three fires that started today and are still ongoing. These are the fires continuing in Eskişehir Seyitgazi, the second near the center of Karabük in Çukurca, and in İzmir Urla. The latest report our colleagues gave us regarding these is that their energy has been reduced, and with the intervention throughout the night, I hope we will have good news as of tomorrow. Our greatest joy and happiness is that there has been no loss of life related to the fire," he said.

News Source: İHA