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Turkey's forests ablaze: recurring crisis ignites anger and demands for accountability [1]
['Arzu Geybullayeva']
Date: 2025-07-09
Turkey is once again grappling with a devastating wave of forest fires, sparking widespread concern and reigniting debates over preventative measures and infrastructure maintenance. According to Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı, a staggering 569 forest fires were recorded across the country in June alone. By July 3, that number had surged to 624. The scale of destruction is immense, with some estimates suggesting an area equivalent to 14,400 football fields has been consumed by flames in the Izmir province alone.
The fires have ravaged provinces from Hatay, still recovering from the devastating earthquake two years ago, to the Aegean provinces of Izmir and Muğla. In Hatay, a fire that started on June 30 took two days to be fully extinguished and left behind a trail of devastation. In Izmir, fires swept through multiple towns in Seferihisar and Çeşme, leading to the evacuation of some 50,000 residents and causing immense property loss. Strong winds in Çeşme, a popular windsurfing destination, exacerbated the challenge for firefighters and caused significant damage to coastal businesses. Manisa's Akhisar district, meanwhile, saw a three-day battle against flames reportedly started by a beekeeper for bee-smoking purposes, but which turned into a larger fire due to strong winds. As of this writing, according to information shared by Minister Yumaklı, most of the fires are either being extinguished or kept under control. June is just the start of Turkey's forest fire season, however, which by the estimates of Global Forest Watch can last as long as 17 weeks.
A history of destruction and lingering questions
Turkey's Mediterranean and Aegean regions are particularly susceptible to wildfires during the hot, dry summer months. The year 2021 stands out as the most devastating on record, with approximately 170,000 hectares (1,700 square kilometers) of forest burned, impacting livelihoods and causing widespread displacement. While there have been efforts to enhance firefighting capabilities, the recurring nature and scale of these disasters raise critical questions about preparedness.
In a tweet shared by the Ministry of Communication, Turkey has significantly increased its aerial firefighting capacity, from 73 tons in 2002 to 438 tons by 2025, with a fleet that now includes 27 planes and 105 helicopters.
The average fire detection time has reportedly been cut to just two minutes, thanks to a combination of AI-backed systems and 776 fire watch towers; the country is a leader in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based forest surveillance. The ground force has also seen an increase, with 8,500 new hires, bringing the total professional firefighting force to 25,000, supported by 131,000 registered volunteers. The ground fleet has more than doubled, and 4,796 fire ponds have been constructed.
Despite these reported advancements, the immediate impact on the ground during large-scale, simultaneous fires often highlights resource limitations, with images of local residents carrying water in small bottles circulating widely on social media.
Faulty electrical power lines
A significant point of contention revolves around the the role of electrical power lines in forest fires. İzmir Governor Süleyman Elban stated that these lines were the cause of recent wildfires in several towns. However, GDZ Electricity, the distribution company responsible for the region's electricity infrastructure, has publicly refuted this claim, stating there is “no concrete evidence indicating that the wildfires in our region originated from power lines.” Instead, it attributed the fires to “high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds and climate change.”
Given the historical context of electricity-related fires, the company's stance has been met with considerable skepticism and anger. As journalist Murat Agirel highlighted, the 2021 Marmaris fire “was officially confirmed to be caused by a power line.” Pointing to a troubling pattern, he added: “In 2022, there was the Datça fire. In 2023, the massive fire in Çanakkale. And in 2024, the Diyarbakır-Mardin fire where 15 citizens died. The distribution company denied responsibility, but video evidence proved it was from power lines.”
Critics argue that the privatization of Turkey's electricity distribution mechanisms in the late 2000s has prioritized company profits over safety and maintenance. By 2013, according to reporting by Bianet, the state completely withdrew from electricity distribution, but it also did not establish an accountability or oversight mechanism for these private sector companies.
“Private companies are calculating maintenance as a cost, not a responsibility,” Mahir Ulutaş, president of the Chamber of Electrical Engineers (EMO), told Evrensel news in an interview. “They are not investing in inspections or modernization. That's why every summer, our forests burn.” EMO's warnings have been consistent, noting that power line-related fires have significantly increased since privatization.
According to data from the General Directorate of Forestry, only four percent of forest fires are caused by electric power transmission lines. However, these fires account for 20 percent of the total forest area burned — meaning they are much more destructive than other types of fires.
In a recent piece, journalist Cihan Erdönmez noted that between 2015 and 2024, wildfires originating from energy facilities – such as power plants and transmission infrastructure – caused an average of 5,534 hectares of forest loss each year in Turkey. This accounts for 21.48 percent of the total area burned annually, making it the largest single source of damage among human-caused fires. Burning agricultural stubble accounts for 3.27 percent; cigarette-related fires 0.98 percent; traffic-related causes 0.84 percent; fires from hunters or shepherds approximately 0.58 percent; and dump-site fires roughly 0.46 percent.
The public outcry on social media, filled with images of destruction and calls for accountability, underscores a deeper frustration. The repeated cycles of natural and man-caused disasters, inadequate preventative measures, and official denials have been fuelling a sense of helplessness and anger.
“Shouldn’t these companies be responsible for maintaining the infrastructure, power poles, insulators, and clearing combustible materials from around the lines?” asked Agirel as he shared the data on the main cause of the forest fires. “Yes, they should. But have you ever heard of any electricity company executive being arrested for causing a forest fire? Power companies are never blamed.” At least ten suspects were arrested on July 4, but there were no electricity company representatives among them.
Shifting focus
The focus, as many experts argue, should shift from emergency response to robust preventative strategies, given that – for days – social media in Turkey has been flooded with videos and images showing both rescued animals and the grave consequences of the fires:
The Ayvacik Forest Operations team helped a snake that was affected by flames in yesterday's Ayvacik Çamköy fire. The snake was given water and taken to a safe area. May God bless you.
Another account shared images of exhausted firefighters resting when they could, and residents using whatever was at their disposal to put out the fires raging nearby. The caption read, “Even anger is tired.”
This post expressed gratitude to the animal rescuers:
We stand with those who protect the land, the trees, and the animals. The rest is ashes. With gratitude and love to the officers and volunteers who risk their lives to safeguard the living beings of our homeland. We’re so thankful you’re here.
In 2021, the hashtag #HelpTurkey spread across Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. There were over 2.7 million shares following President Erdogan's visit to one of the damaged areas, where he was seen tossing packages of tea to fire survivors. Shortly after the hashtag gained momentum, the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation into the campaign and those who shared the message, accusing them of spreading “anxiety and fear.”
There are no hashtags this year, and as writer Ayse Ozyilmazel penned in an Instagram post, “I'm at a loss. I no longer know what I should be sad about, who to defend, who to be angry with, who to calm down, what to write, and what I can say that won't get me into trouble, how to keep going, how not to lose my mind, how to stay positive and not succumb to the darkness.”
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