Wildfire devastates rural areas in Türkiye: 11 dead

A severe wildfire has erupted in the rural area between Diyarbakır’s Çınar district and Mardin’s Mazıdağı district, in Türkiye, claiming 11 lives and left many injured.

The fire, which started as a stubble burning incident, rapidly grew due to strong winds, engulfing surrounding villages and causing significant casualties and damage, officials announced on June 21.

The wildfire has tragically claimed 11 lives and left many injured. Villages affected in Diyarbakır include Köksalan, Yazçiçeği, Bağrık, and Ağaçsever, while in Mardin, Yücebağ, Şenyuva, and Yetkinler are severely impacted.

The Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality Rural Development Department has determined through satellite observation that an area of 66 kilometer/square has been affected by the fire in the Çınar district.

Wildfire: 11 people lost their lives, 78 affected

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca confirmed that 11 people died and 78 people affected by the fire. 

In a social media post on June 21, Koca said, “Due to the fire that occurred yesterday evening in Köksalan and Yazçiçeği villages in Diyarbakır’s Çınar district and Yücebağ and Yetkinler villages in Mardin’s Mazıdağı district, 11 people have lost their lives and 78 people were affected by the fire. Currently, five patients are in intensive care in Diyarbakır, with four intubated, and one patient in Şanlıurfa is also intubated.”

Following the fire, emergency services, including AFAD, the Forest Management Directorate, firefighting units, and 112 Emergency Health teams, have been dispatched from both Diyarbakır and Mardin to combat the blaze.

The co-leaders of the DEM Party, Tülay Hatimoğulları and Tuncer Bakırhan, issued urgent calls for aerial intervention in the early hours of the fires.

They highlighted the severity of the situation, stated:  “Many of our people have lost their lives and been injured due to this fire, which is one of the largest in recent years. Thousands of people are under threat. Ground interventions are insufficient, and immediate aerial support is crucial to prevent the fire from spreading further.”

The hashtag #YangınBölgesineAcilHelikopter (Urgent Helicopter to the Fire Area) trended on social media platform X, reflecting the widespread demand for immediate action.

Journalists on the ground emphasized the necessity of aerial intervention, noting that firefighting vehicles could not reach mountainous areas where the fire continued to spread. Local municipalities from Diyarbakır, Batman, Mardin, and other districts have dispatched specialized teams and numerous firefighting vehicles to the affected region.

The cause

Diyarbakır Governor Ali İhsan Su stated that the fire started with “stubble burning” and “was exacerbated by extreme heat and excessive vegetation growth due to heavy spring rains”. He expressed hopes that the fire would be fully controlled soon and extended his condolences to the victims’ families.

Dicle Elektrik, the regional electricity provider, stated that the fire did not originate from electrical transmission lines, despite some media reports suggesting otherwise. They continue to work with relevant public units to investigate the cause.

Mardin Governor Tuncay Akkoyun, alongside AKP Mardin MP Faruk Kılıç and Provincial Gendarmerie Commander Brigadier General İdris Tataroğlu, stated that the fire, which spread from Diyarbakır’s Köksalan village to Mardin’s Şenyuva, Yücebağ, and Yetkinler villages, was now under control.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, in a 4:00 am statement, detailed the progression of the fire and the response efforts. He confirmed that the fire had been fully controlled and that cooling operations were ongoing.

Cooling operations concluded in the morning, with drone footage capturing the extensive damage. The footage showed helicopters from Göksu Dam aiding in the efforts to douse the fire.