Since the 1940's the number of wildfires in Turkey per year had increased from around 1000 to around 3500. [1] In 2007, the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report said that "Warmer, drier conditions will lead to more frequent and prolonged droughts, as well as to a longer fire season and increased fire risk, particularly in the Mediterranean region." [2] [3] [ needs update ]
2020 Wildfires in Turkey | |
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Date(s) | 29 Sep 2020 |
Statistics | |
Total fires | 2,957 |
Total area | 40,630 acres (16,440 ha) |
Burned area | Turkey |
The 2020 wildfires were a series of forest fires that broke out in several areas across Turkey throughout 2020. In the first ten months of the year, a total of 16,441 ha (40,630 acres) of forestland was destroyed in 2,957 recorded wildfires. For comparison, the figures for the previous year were 11,332 ha (28,000 acres) of forestland destroyed by 2,668 wildfires. [4] [5] As of August 2021 [update] , figures for 2020 fire starting have not yet been published by the General Directorate of Forestry. [6] [ needs update ]
A wildfire broke out at Gevenez of Yatağan district in Muğla Province, southwestern Turkey on 29 September. The fire destroyed 1 ha (2.5 acres) of forest, 3 ha (7.4 acres) of agricultural land, haylofts, and some unused, old houses. [7]
A forest fire started at Sarımazı neighborhood of Belen district in Hatay Province, southern Turkey, on 9 October. Within two days, the fire burnt 400 ha (990 acres) of forest. The fire spread over to İskenderun and Arsuz districts, affecting many residences, factories, and nearly 100 people. According to an investigation, the fire was a result of arson masterminded by İzzettin İnan, alias "Seyfettin", and Suvar Derweş, Kurdish militants in Afrin Region, northwestern Syria. Two suspects were arrested as arsonists. [8] [ needs update ]
2021 Turkish wildfires | |
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Date(s) | 28 July – 12 August 2021 |
Location | Mediterranean and Aegean regions |
Statistics | |
Total area | 170,000 hectares [9] |
Impacts | |
Deaths | 9 [10] |
Non-fatal injuries | 800+ [11] |
In July and August 2021, a series of more than two hundred wildfires burnt 1,700 square kilometres of forest in Turkey's Mediterranean Region [12] in the worst-ever wildfire season in the country's history. [13] The wildfires started in Manavgat, Antalya Province, on 28 July 2021, [14] with the temperature around 37 °C (99 °F). [15] As of 9 August 2021, two fires were still burning, both in Muğla. [16] The fires are part of a larger series of wildfires, including those in neighbouring Greece, originating from a heatwave made more likely by climate change. [17] [18]
The fires were some of several extreme weather events around the world in 2021. [17]
Wildfires in the forests of Turkey are common in summer, principally in the Mediterranean and Aegean Regions, [20] however, May 2021 was the hottest May for over 50 years [21] and followed a drought, made more likely by climate change. [17] [18] This was followed by near to above average June temperatures with positive temperature anomalies below 1 °C (1.8 °F) and ample rainfall, however, this did not impede the fires in Kaş, Tarsus and Marmaris on 26 and 27 June. [21] [22] Much stronger heat followed in the second half of July, as some regions reached positive temperature anomalies of up to 12 °C (22 °F), and a temperature reading of 36 °C (97 °F) was recorded as far north as Istanbul, where seasonal daytime temperatures would have been around 27 °C (81 °F). [23] [24] [25]
Copernicus satellites measured the maximum daily heat intensity at about 20 gigawatts, four times the previous record in Turkey, and EFFIS estimates placed the total area burnt at almost ten times the average for early August. [17] [26] Nine people died in the wildfires, at least two of them firefighters. [10] [27] Three deadly casualties were reported from the fire in Manavgat. [28] 18 villages in Antalya and 16 villages in Adana and Mersin were evacuated. [29] Most injuries were due to smoke inhalation. [20] More than 4,000 tourists and staff in 2 hotels in Bodrum were evacuated by sea, [30] [17] by the Turkish Coastguard helped by private boats. [31] Minister of Environment and Urban Planning Murat Kurum said that over 100 art museums would have to be demolished. [32] The president declared parts of 5 southern provinces disaster zones. [33] By 2 August 2021, it was estimated that about 160'000 acres of forests have fallen victim to the fires. [34]
During the first few days of August new fires broke out in the west, and the Kemerköy power plant in Muğla Province was evacuated on 4 August as a fire entered the plant. [35] [36] The same day some other people near Milas were evacuated by sea. [37] Nearby Yeniköy power plant was also threatened by a fire. [38] Rare summer rain in Antalya on 7 August helped bring the fires there under control, but those in Muğla remained serious, with 13 fires continuing in 5 provinces. [39]
On 14 August, a Russian Navy Beriev Be-200 fire-fighting plane, one of two hired since July to help those affected by the fires in Kahramanmaraş, crashed just before it was due to land. There were five Russian servicemen and three Turkish citizens on board, all of whom perished in the accident. [40] [41]
Most of the burnt forest was Turkish pine (Pinus brutia - in Turkish "Kızılçam" literally "red pine" – so sometimes mistranslated), which can generally regrow naturally. [1]
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said in July that three planes, 38 helicopters and about 4,000 firefighters had fought the fires. [20] Drones were also used, along with 485 water tenders and 660 bulldozers. [30] [32] [42] He also stated that more than 2,000 farm animals had died. [33] The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said on 29 July that 58 people were still in hospital. [15] Ten people trapped at Oymapinar Dam were rescued. [42] However, firefighting planes could only operate in daylight, and fallen trees blocked access to certain roads. [43] On 3 August the Radio and Television Supreme Council warned media in Turkey not to be too negative in their coverage. [44] Government loan repayments were postponed for the injured, and damage payments were made and interest-free credit promised to small businesses. [45] Public access to various forests was banned until autumn. [45] Opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu argued that an adequate supply of planes is essential as most fires broke out on the steep foothills of the Taurus Mountains where planes would have been more efficient at keeping the fires under control, and criticised the government by claiming that it limited the ability of the Turkish Aeronautical Association to bid. [46] Later on, he said that the president had been ignoring the climate crisis and drought in Turkey. [47] The mayors of the eleven CHP governed metropolitans made a joint statement offering to finance the costs of firefighting planes. [48] Other opposition parties also criticised the ministry: Selahattin Demirtaş of the Peoples' Democratic Party called the government incompetent, and Good Party leader Meral Akşener said she had warned the ministry about the lack of planes the previous year. [46] Pakdemirli said the ministry would buy firefighting planes before the end of 2021. [46] The Turkish Aeronautical Association said that the 5000 liter capacity limit for tenders for firefighting aircraft should have been lower so they could have bid, but the president said they should have updated their technology. [31] The president said that municipalities are also responsible for firefighting, but mayors said they had not been invited to crisis coordination meetings. [49]
In August, President Erdoğan, while busing through disaster areas, threw tea bags at citizens, which was criticized by several opposition politicians, including Ali Babacan who said the act was shameful. [50]
The following countries responded:
International Organizations:
Specifically for 2021 Turkish wildfires, a non-governmental organization in Turkey, Environmental Organizations Solidarity Association , has initiated seedling donation movement.
Following the defeat of Turkey women's national volleyball team by South Korea women's national volleyball team in quarterfinal at the 2020 Summer Olympics with set scores of 3 – 2, [64] most of the players in Turkey women's national volleyball team bursted out their tears. After the reason of their sorrow has been known throughout the Internet, South Korean netizens initiated voluntary seedling donation movement through ÇEKUD in the name of Kim Yeon-koung or Korea Volleyball Federation to help Turkey for 2021 Turkish wildfires. [65]
ÇEKUD began their work to establish Turkey-Korea Friendship Forest Areas in several damaged areas, beginning on 18 November 2021 in Antalya Province. On 1 April 2022, Turkey completed planting operation. According to ÇEKUD, six zones of "Turkey-Korea Friendship Forest" are made: 30,000 in Antalya, 40,000 in Nevşehir, 25,000 in Kilis, 15,000 in Istanbul, 30,000 in Muğla and 10,000 in Osmaniye, thus 150,000 donated trees among 580,000, in total. [66] [67]
As of August 2021 [update] , figures for 2020 fire starting have not yet been published by the General Directorate of Forestry,[ needs update ]but in 2019 no fires were known to have been caused by terrorism, and in 2018, out of the 2167 total fires 6 are known to have been started by terrorists according to official statistics. [3] However, what started almost half of the 2688 fires in 2019 was unknown: the most common known fire starters were lightning (372) and intentional stubble burning (184). [17]
Boğaziçi University climatologist Levent Kurnaz said that the extremely hot and dry weather helped to start the fires. [17] Some meteorologists also mention the foehn effect. [68] Hikmet Özturk, forestry expert working with the Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion, said that although wildfires are almost always started by people, effects of climate change on wildfires are making their spread worse. [33]
The state-run TRT World, among others, wrote quickly about the possibility of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey and many other countries) being behind the fires. One article by TRT called the PKK the "prime suspect" because "environmental destruction is one of the methods of vengeance used by the group." [69] This was denied by the PKK, as well as the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK). [70] According to some reports, there were racist attacks on Kurds after it was reported that the PKK was behind the fires. [71] Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu stated that they had "no security intelligence" yet to support the claim that wildfires were being caused by arson attacks. [72] As of August 2021 [update] official investigation concerning the causes of the fires continues, [73] [ needs update ] including possible arson or negligence. [74]
Wildfires in Turkey | |
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Date(s) | June 2024-ongoing |
Location | Southeastern Turkey |
Statistics [75] | |
Total fires | 74 |
Burned area | 31,900+ |
Impacts | |
Deaths | 12+ |
Non-fatal injuries | 78+, 5 critically |
Livestock losses | "Hundreds killed" |
The 2024 Turkey wildfires were a series of wildfires that broke out in Turkey throughout 2024 and spread as a result of strong winds and dry conditions. As of 24 June 2024, the most impacted region was in Diyarbakır province, where a mid-June fire killed at least 12 people and caused at least 78 injuries. [76]
In mid-June 2024, a severe wildfire grew across Southeastern Turkey, affecting mainly Kurdish-majority regions and killing at least 12 people. The fire started from burning of crop stubble in rural Koksalan at around 22:15 TRT (19:15 UTC), and spread into five villages, including Yazcicegi and Bagacik in the Çınar, Diyarbakır municipality due to strong winds. At least 78 people suffered from fire-related injuries and smoke inhalation, with five people requiring intensive care. In addition, hundreds of livestock were killed. [76] [77]
The Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party criticized the government's fire response due to it only using ground forces when they claimed that water bombers were necessary to stop the conflagration before widespread damage occurred. [75]
Smokejumpers are specially trained wildland firefighters who provide an initial attack response on remote wildfires. They are inserted at the site of the fire by parachute. This allows firefighters to access remote fires in their early stages without needing to hike long distances carrying equipment and supplies. Traditional terrestrial crews can use only what they can carry and often require hours and days to reach fire on foot. The benefits of smokejumping include the speed at which firefighters can reach a burn site, the broad range of fires a single crew can reach by aircraft, and the larger equipment payloads that can be delivered to a fire compared to pedestrian crews.
The National Intelligence Organization, also known by its Turkish initials MIT or MİT, or colloquially as the Organization, is an intelligence agency of the Turkish government tasked with gathering information of national interests. It gathers information for the Presidency and the Armed Forces about the current and potential threats from inside and outside against all the elements that make up Turkey's integrity, constitutional order, existence, independence, security and national power and take precautions when necessary.
Aerial firefighting, also known as waterbombing, is the use of aircraft and other aerial resources to combat wildfires. The types of aircraft used include fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Smokejumpers and rappellers are also classified as aerial firefighters, delivered to the fire by parachute from a variety of fixed-wing aircraft, or rappelling from helicopters. Chemicals used to fight fires may include water, water enhancers such as foams and gels, and specially formulated fire retardants such as Phos-Chek.
The 2007 Greek forest fires were a series of massive forest fires that broke out in several areas across Greece throughout the summer of 2007. The most destructive and lethal infernos broke out on 23 August, expanded rapidly and raged out of control until 27 August, until they were finally put out in early September. The fires mainly affected western and southern Peloponnese as well as southern Euboea. The death toll in August alone stood at 67 people. In total 85 people lost their lives because of the fires, including several fire fighters.
The 2009 Mediterranean wildfires were a series of wildfires that broke out across France, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Turkey in July 2009. Strong winds spread the fire during a hot, dry period of weather killing at least eight people, six of whom were in Spain. Some of the wildfires were caused by lightning, along with arson and military training.
The Mount Carmel Forest Fire was a deadly forest fire that started on Mount Carmel in northern Israel, just south of Haifa. The fire began at about 11:00 local time on 2 December 2010, and spread quickly, consuming much of the Mediterranean forest covering the region. With a death toll of 44, it was the deadliest civil disaster in Israeli history until the 2021 Meron stampede. Those killed included 36 Israel Prison Service members, most of them new recruits, as well as three senior police officers, among them the chief of Haifa's police, and three firefighters, among them a 16-year-old volunteer. More than 17,000 people were evacuated, including several villages in the vicinity of the fire, and there was considerable property and environmental damage.
The Lake Fire was a wildfire that burned in the San Bernardino National Forest. The fire started on June 17, 2015, and burned over 31,359 acres before it was fully contained on July 21, 2015.
In late July 2015, the third phase of the Kurdish–Turkish conflict between various Kurdish insurgent groups and the Turkish government erupted, following a failed two and a half year-long peace process aimed at resolving the long-running conflict.
In November 2016, a wave of wildfires and urban fires occurred in Israel from Beersheva in the south to Nahariya in the north. Some of the fires occurred naturally; others were arson attacks. On November 28, after eight days of fire fighting, the firefighting services announced that the emergency condition was over. Firefighters fought 1,773 fires, at least 39 were reported as major fires that required at least ten crews or more. The largest fire occurred in Haifa, where 527 apartments were destroyed among 77 buildings, leaving 1,600 people homeless. Some 75,000 residents, about a quarter of the city's population, were evacuated from eleven neighborhoods. Other major fires occurred in Zikhron Ya'akov and in the Jerusalem area, as well as smaller fires throughout Israel and the West Bank. Israel's Nature and Parks Authority reported that more than 20,000 dunams of forests, brush land, and open space were burnt, the largest amount since the Mount Carmel forest fire (2010).
A series of wildfires in Greece, during the 2018 European heat wave, began in the coastal areas of Attica in July 2018. 104 people were confirmed dead from the Mati fires. The fires were, at that time, the second-deadliest wildfire event in the 21st century, after the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in Australia that killed 173.
During August 2019, a number of forest fires broke out in the Canary Islands of Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Lanzarote. The fires on the island of Gran Canaria were the most severe, resulting in the loss of large areas of the island's forests and leading to the evacuation of thousands of residents from a number of towns and villages. The intense heat brought by a heat wave and the presence of strong winds, combined with the island's mountainous terrain, made extinguishing activities exceptionally difficult.
Events of 2020 in Turkey.
The Goodwin Fire was a wildfire that burned 28,516 acres (11,540 ha) in the U.S. state of Arizona over 16 days, from June 24 to July 10, 2017. The fire destroyed 17 homes and damaged another 19 structures, but no firefighters or civilians were injured or died in the fire. Investigators did not determine any particular cause for the fire.
The 2021 Greece wildfires were multiple wildfires in Greece in August 2021, which killed 3 people, injured at least 20 others and burned dozens of homes, after a historic heatwave for the country, with the highest temperatures reaching 47.1 °C (116.8 °F). Authorities evacuated several villages and towns. According to BBC News, Greece experienced the worst heatwave since 1987. These fires were the worst fires in Greece since the 2007 Greek forest fires which burnt more than double the area of the 2021 fires.
The 2021 Israel wildfires were multiple wildfires that happened in the vicinity of Jerusalem.
In June through August 2022, parts of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa were affected by wildfires. The bulk of the fires affected Mediterranean Countries, with the main areas affected being Algeria, France, Greece, Portugal and Spain.
In July 2023, multiple wildfires started in Greece. They resulted in at least 28 deaths and injured 75 people, with over 80 wildfires being recorded. Seventy-nine people were arrested for arson.
Individuals and events related to 2024 in Turkey.
On the afternoon of 11 August 2024, a wildfire fire hit the northeastern Attica region of Greece. The fire broke out in the area of Varnavas, northeast of Athens, at 3:02 PM, according to Fire Colonel Vassileios Vathrakogiannis, the Fire Service spokesman and quickly spread due to strong winds. The flames caused the evacuation of many settlements and caused severe damage to homes and forest lands. The fire continues to burn, affecting significant parts of northeastern Attica and threatening the northern districts of Athens.
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