Turkey is in mourning after a devastating wildfire in the northwestern province of Eskişehir claimed the lives of 10 brave rescue volunteers and forestry workers on Wednesday, July 23, 2025. The tragedy has sent shockwaves across the nation, stirring grief, anger, and a fierce debate over government preparedness and response to the increasingly frequent and deadly wildfires plaguing the country.
The fire erupted in a forested area near Büyükyayla in Eskişehir’s Seyitgazi district, a region already battered by soaring temperatures, dry conditions, and strong winds since late June. According to Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı, the flames spread rapidly after a sudden and unexpected shift in wind direction trapped 24 forest workers and volunteer rescuers. Among them, five members of the volunteer search-and-rescue group AKUT and five forestry workers lost their lives in the harrowing blaze, while at least 14 others were hospitalized with injuries.
"Some 24 forest workers and volunteer rescue personnel were left trapped inside the fire following a change in the direction of the wind," Minister Yumaklı said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter. The bodies of the deceased were taken to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Ankara for DNA testing to confirm their identities. The victims were named as Ercan Utmi, Hilmi Şahin, Eyip Dereli, Tolunay Kocaman, Enes Kızılyel, Muharrem Can, İlker Onarıcı, Tekin Enes Sarıyıldız, Bayram Eren Arslan, and Alperen Özcan.
Among the fallen was a 28-year-old forestry worker who had just returned to duty from his honeymoon two days prior, highlighting the human cost behind the statistics. AKUT, the rescue organization, mourned its volunteers as "true heroes of this land," underscoring the sacrifice made in service of protecting Turkey’s forests.
The wildfire in Eskişehir was one of at least nine blazes reported across Turkey on that fateful Wednesday. The country has been grappling with a relentless wildfire season since June 26, fueled by prolonged drought, intense heat waves, and volatile wind patterns. Temperatures soared to 41°C in Istanbul, and meteorologists warned of above-seasonal norms nationwide, creating tinderbox conditions ripe for such disasters.
Minister Yumaklı warned that these extreme weather patterns, particularly sudden wind changes, continue to pose grave risks to firefighters and rescue teams. He noted that seven wildfires were actively being battled across Turkey, including the one in Eskişehir, and called on all 86 million citizens to exercise vigilance and caution amid the extraordinary temperatures and shifting winds expected in the coming days.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed his condolences to the families of the victims, praising their courage and sacrifice in protecting the nation’s forests. "They fought to protect our forests at the cost of their lives," he said. Meanwhile, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç announced that public prosecutors in Eskişehir and the neighboring Afyonkarahisar province have launched investigations into the incident, seeking to determine the exact causes and any potential negligence.
However, the tragedy has ignited a fierce national outcry, with opposition leaders, labor unions, human rights groups, and environmental organizations sharply criticizing the government’s handling of wildfire prevention and response. The leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Özgür Özel, condemned the deaths as the result of "irresponsibility and mismanagement," branding Turkey "a country of easy deaths" where preventable disasters have become routine.
Özel referenced President Erdoğan’s controversial remarks following Turkey’s worst mining disaster in 2014, when 301 workers perished and Erdoğan had said such accidents were "the nature of the business." At a rally in Istanbul, Özel insisted, "It is not the ‘nature’ of any profession to die on the job. There is no justification for losing lives while fighting forest fires. The people will hold this poor governance accountable."
Human rights groups like the Human Rights Association (İHD) highlighted the lack of proper prevention policies, insufficient firefighting equipment, and inadequate public warnings. They lamented the loss of thousands of animals and hundreds of plant species in the fires, calling the disaster a "deep tragedy." The Turkish Bar Association pledged to monitor the ongoing legal proceedings closely.
This latest disaster has reopened wounds from the catastrophic wildfires that scorched Turkey’s southern and western coasts in the summer of 2021, which killed nine people, displaced tens of thousands, and destroyed thousands of hectares of forest. Back then, Erdoğan’s government faced widespread criticism for a slow response and a near-total lack of firefighting aircraft, reportedly having only one operational plane and leasing two others from Russia at a staggering daily cost.
Labor unions and left-wing political parties have accused the government of long-standing neglect of worker safety and forest protection. The Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DİSK) stated that forest fires are predictable disasters for which no real preparations are made, leaving workers exposed to extreme risks with minimal protection.
The Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) and the Left Party (Sol Parti) directly blamed the government’s "corrupt one-man regime" for the tragedy, alleging it sold off firefighting aircraft, shuttered training programs, and hired untrained seasonal workers for perilous jobs. "This is not an accident, it’s a crime," the Left Party declared.
Ahmet Hüsrev Özkara, head of the Turkish Foresters’ Association, pointed to critical government failures in training and preparedness. He criticized the closure of a key firefighting training center in Buca, İzmir province, in 2018, calling it a "critical mistake." Özkara emphasized, "Fighting forest fires requires experience and continuity. That center was where people trained and shared knowledge. Without such preparation, disasters like this are inevitable." He also condemned the government’s reliance on leased firefighting planes and insufficient ground crew training.
The wildfires have taken a grim toll this year, with the 10 deaths in Eskişehir bringing the total wildfire-related fatalities in Turkey to at least 13. Earlier in July, an elderly man and two forestry workers died in a separate blaze near Ödemiş in İzmir province. Experts warn that climate change is worsening the conditions for wildfires, with prolonged droughts and heatwaves becoming more frequent and severe.
The European Union’s forest fires information system has recorded a surge in wildfires across southeastern Europe, including Turkey, Greece, Albania, and Bulgaria, labeling the current risk level as "very extreme." This year, 1,250 fires have been reported in the EU region, a significant increase from 861 in the same period last year.
As Turkey faces this escalating threat, the government continues to urge residents in high-risk areas to heed safety advisories and evacuation orders. Yet, the tragic loss of life in Eskişehir serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for improved wildfire management, investment in firefighting infrastructure, and better protection for those who risk everything to safeguard the nation’s forests.
