Ten people die while battling forest fire in Türkiye

Ten people, including forest workers and volunteer rescuers, lost their lives while battling a raging forest fire near the village of Büyükyayla in the Seyitgazi district of Eskişehir, Türkiye, on July 23. 

The blaze, which erupted around 10:30 a.m., spread rapidly through the forested area, reaching as far as the neighbouring province of Afyonkarahisar, Caliber.Az reports via Turkish media.

Emergency response teams from the Eskişehir Regional Directorate of Forestry were quickly deployed to the scene, launching intensive firefighting efforts both from the ground and the air. Despite their rapid response, the fire trapped a total of 24 personnel — 19 forestry workers and 5 members of the volunteer search-and-rescue organisation AKUT.

According to Türkiye’s Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı, while 14 of those trapped were rescued and are receiving medical treatment, 10 individuals — five forestry workers and five AKUT volunteers — were tragically killed in the line of duty.

By Vugar Khalilov