Elderly woman attempting self-immolation sets brushland on fire

According to the information obtained, a search was initiated for 61-year-old Deniz Delibalta E., who went missing in the Dereköy neighborhood. Search and rescue teams and neighbors found the elderly woman 500 meters from her home while she was attempting to set herself on fire with gasoline. While the elderly woman was rescued at the last moment, 10 hectares of grassland and brushland were reduced to ashes.

Upon notification of the fire, which spread over a large area in a short time due to the wind, teams from the Muğla Metropolitan Municipality Fire Department and the Muğla Regional Directorate of Forestry were dispatched to the region. The fire was intervened from the air with 7 helicopters and 6 aircraft, and from the ground with 8 fire trucks, 3 water tankers, 2 bulldozers, and 70 personnel. It was learned that the fire was brought under control after the intensive efforts of the teams, and cooling operations are continuing in the region.

In the investigation regarding the cause of the fire, it was determined that the flames started while 61-year-old Deniz Delibalta E. was attempting to set herself on fire with gasoline. In the initial examination of the woman, who was found at her home after the incident, burns were detected on her hands, arms, and back. It was learned that Ertunç, who was taken to the hospital by medical teams, has been placed under treatment.

"The moment we found the woman, flames suddenly rose"

Hüseyin Can, a neighbor who intervened in the fire, stated that the woman's caregiver reached out to him in the morning hours to say they could not find her. Expressing that they started search efforts upon this, Can said, "I live here. In the morning, my neighbor's caregiver came to me and said, 'Deniz Hanım is not here.' We started looking for Deniz Hanım, and they called the gendarmerie. I also had acquaintances from AFAD, and we started searching with them. We searched, but we couldn't find her. We found her at the exact point where the fire started. The moment we found the woman, flames suddenly erupted and flared up. I ran to get water from the house; we tried to put it out, but we couldn't stop the fire. We called the fire department and tried to extinguish it. The fire grew very large and reached this state. I think she lit it with a match or a lighter; it is impossible for the woman to even walk. She is elderly, sick, and in a difficult situation. Honestly, there was a box there, but I don't know if it was a medicine box or something else; it exploded after the fire started. I honestly don't know what it was. We saved her; we pulled her out of the fire. There was a friend in front of me, they rescued her," he said.

The investigation into the fire is ongoing.

News Source: İHA