Three major wildfires under control: Minister

BURSA

Forest fires in the western provinces of Uşak and İzmir and the southern city of Kahramanmaraş have been brought under control following intensive efforts by air and ground teams, Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı has announced on July 28 evening.

Wildfires continued to tear through multiple provinces in Türkiye during the day, with firefighters racing against time to contain the flames, especially in the northwestern province of Bursa, where encroaching blazes posed a critical threat to residential areas.

Thousands of residents were forced to flee as multiple wildfires engulfed forested areas in Bursa’s several districts, turning the skies grey with thick smoke and cutting access to key roads.

In connection with the fires in the city, authorities arrested a 30-year-old man charged with arson.

The suspect was seen in a forest area with fuel canisters in his vehicle, prompting citizens to alert the police.

Bursa governor’s office confirmed that the suspect was a former non-commissioned officer expelled over ties to the FETÖ terrorist organization, the group orchestrating the 2016 failed coup attempt in Türkiye.

Local media reported that the suspect admitted to setting fires with the intention of getting imprisoned, citing mental distress.

Security footage showed him emptying water from plastic bottles into flower pots before filling them with gasoline at a local petrol station.

Police officers stepped in to prevent the suspect from being attacked by an enraged crowd.

Yumaklı earlier on July 28 confirmed that while the Harmancık fire in Bursa continues, the Kestel fire was largely extinguished.

On the morning of July 28, firefighting aircraft resumed water drops at first light in the city, while exhausted ground crews who had worked through the night rested briefly in parks and on sidewalks.

Some areas were only accessible on foot, prompting residents and emergency teams to carry water in bottles to reach the flames.

In a separate tragedy, three volunteers traveling from Bolu province to aid firefighting efforts in the city were killed when their water tanker rolled off a steep road and crashed.

Authorities said the fires in the province have forced the evacuation of over 3,500 people.

Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç confirmed that officials arrested one individual in connection with the fires in Bursa. Since June 26, 21 individuals have been jailed across the country as part of wildfire-related criminal proceedings, according to Tunç.

Investigations reveal that a number of wildfires were caused by human negligence, often stemming from unattended or poorly managed fires set for land clearing and waste disposal, which then quickly spread into nearby forests.

Blazes in Karabük’s Safranbolu also burned for five days on July 28, forcing the evacuation of 18 villages and 50 neighborhoods.

Yumaklı on July 28 provided an update on the ongoing wildfire situation in the city, noting that the energy of the fire decreased significantly.

Further south, in Kahramanmaraş’s Onikişubat district, a large blaze scorched at least 500 hectares of forest over the past three days.

Türkiye remains in a high-risk fire period until Oct. 15, according to Yumaklı.

Meanwhile, smoke and ash from a separate forest fire in neighboring Bulgaria reached Edirne, a Turkish city near the border, blanketing the area in a thick, acrid haze and reducing visibility.

While the fire has not yet crossed into Türkiye, firefighting crews in Edirne remain on standby near the Hamzabeyli border crossing as a precaution.