Turkish wildfire kills 10 firefighters, rescue workers amid extreme heat

Local media study that 24 firefighters and rescuers were trapped by the wildfire, and that victims were ‘burned alive’.

At slightest 10 firefighters and rescue workers were killed and 14 others injured portion battling a wildfire successful Turkiye’s northwestern Eskisehir province, authorities said, arsenic respective fires rage successful cardinal and occidental areas of the state wherever temperatures are soaring.

Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Ibrahim Yumakli said connected Wednesday that 5 forestry workers and 5 rescuers trying to tackle the blaze were killed erstwhile 24 firefighters became trapped successful the wildfire earlier successful the day.

Winds whipped up by the flames abruptly changed direction, and the occurrence engulfed the radical of firefighters, who were swiftly transported to hospital, wherever 10 of them died.

Fourteen others are inactive receiving aesculapian treatment, the curate said.

“Unfortunately, we person mislaid 5 wood workers and 5 [rescuers],” Yumakli told Turkish tv broadcasters.

Turkish quality website BirGun reported that the radical were trapped by the occurrence and “burned alive”.

Local lawmaker Nebi Hatipoglu wrote connected X that determination are “no words to picture our grief”.

Flames and fume emergence from a location successful Selcik colony aft a wood occurrence successful the Bilecik country of Turkiye connected July 23, 2025 [Sergen Sezgin/Anadolu]

Turkiye has been sweltering since Sunday nether precocious temperatures and beardown winds that person fanned wildfires betwixt Istanbul and the capital, Ankara, with the spreading blazes threatening homes and forcing the evacuation of respective villages.

Minister Yumakli said utmost vigor and volatile upwind conditions were besides expected connected Thursday.

“Starting tomorrow, we are facing bonzer temperatures and utmost upwind shifts. Once again, I telephone connected each 86 cardinal citizens to beryllium vigilant and workout other caution,” helium said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan praised the victims who fought “to support our forests astatine outgo of their lives”.

“I commune for God’s mercy connected our brothers and sisters who fought astatine the outgo of their lives to support our forests, and I connection my condolences to their families and our nation,” Erdogan said successful a connection posted connected societal media.

Two prosecutors person been assigned to analyse the incident, the country’s justness curate said.

The deaths connected Wednesday bring the fig of deaths successful wildfires truthful acold successful the state to 13 this year.

An aged antheral and 2 forestry workers were killed successful a wildfire that raged adjacent the municipality of Odemis, successful the Izmir province, earlier this month.

An craft drops h2o implicit a wood occurrence successful the Kayapınar neighbourhood of the Yunusemre territory successful the Manisa country of Turkiye connected Wednesday [Berkan Cetin/Anadolu]

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies