27.07.2025 13:56
In the Gürsu district of Bursa, a woman who was trying to intervene in the flames along with her husband and children became trapped in the fire line during the efforts to extinguish a forest fire. The woman, who was rescued by the teams, described her terrifying moments, saying, "Oh God, I just want it to go out, nothing else. I was very scared. It flared up and burned suddenly. I was so afraid my children would burn."
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Yesterday, around 5:30 PM, a forest fire broke out near the Ağlaşan neighborhood in the Kestel district of Bursa, and with the effect of the wind, it quickly spread to the Gürsu district. The flames, visible from all over the city, also advanced towards the Osmangazi district. While 1,765 people were evacuated, explosions occurred from time to time in the stone quarries and electrical lines in the area.
RETURN TO HOMES HAS STARTED
In the firefighting efforts, 1,800 personnel and 700 construction machines from 41 institutions were involved, while fire crews from the Denizli Metropolitan Municipality, who were working on the fires in Istanbul, Yalova, Balıkesir, and Bilecik, were also dispatched to the region as reinforcements. Throughout the night, the energy and spread force of the fire decreased with the ongoing ground firefighting efforts, and the 1,765 people from the three evacuated neighborhoods began to return to their homes.
A WOMAN CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIRE WITH HER CHILDREN
While the firefighting efforts continued for the forest fire in the Gürsu district of Bursa, a woman trying to intervene in the flames with her husband and children was caught in the middle of the fire.
"I WAS VERY AFRAID THAT MY CHILDREN WOULD BURN"
The woman rescued by the teams described her terrifying moments with the following words: "I don't know exactly, but around 4:30-5, the flames came to the top here. When they came there, the flames suddenly came here. We were with my husband, and then all my children came. My eldest son was working, he came and joined, they went to extinguish it. Our car was left there, we had it pulled by a friend. God, I just want it to go out, nothing else. I was very scared. It flared up suddenly, it burned. I was very afraid that my children would burn."
OVER 200 ANIMALS RESCUED
Animals at the Gürsu Municipality Animal Care and Rehabilitation Center in the İğdir neighborhood, as well as small and large livestock in the neighborhoods and various species of peacocks, budgerigars, canaries, partridges, parrots, quails, and pheasants in the picnic area in Gürsu, were also evacuated from the fire area by HAYTAP volunteers and district municipality teams.
CITIZENS MOBILIZED
People from Bursa mobilized throughout the night for the fire area. Citizens flocked to the fire area with aid materials, while concrete mixers transported water to the region. Farmers from surrounding neighborhoods also supported the firefighting efforts with water filled in their spraying tankers. Meanwhile, motorcycle couriers brought drinks and food to the fire area throughout the night.
MINISTER URALOĞLU MADE INSPECTIONS IN THE FIRE AREA
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, who was in Bursa for the opening of the Doğancı Tunnel, also visited the fire area for inspections. Speaking at the coordination center established at the Regional Directorate of Forestry, Minister Uraloğlu stated that due to the very hot weather and the effect of the wind in some areas, the fire spread rapidly, and it was determined that the fire on the Kestel and Gürsu sides affected an area of approximately 100-110 hectares. Minister Uraloğlu also mentioned that 13 aircraft effectively intervened in the fire until nightfall.
BURSA GOVERNORATE: 3 HELICOPTERS AND 3 AIRPLANES PROVIDING AIR SUPPORT
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, who was following the firefighting efforts at the Fire Operations Center with Bursa Governor Erol Ayyıldız, received information from Regional Director of Forestry Erdal Şahan about the ongoing efforts and the course of the fire.
In a statement from the Bursa Governorate, it was noted that firefighting efforts were supported from the air with 3 helicopters and 3 airplanes, and the following statements were made:
"Intervention efforts for the fires are being carried out under the coordination of AFAD and in cooperation with all our relevant institutions. Together with 1,777 personnel and 688 ground vehicles working in the field, 3 helicopters and 3 firefighting planes registered in the inventory of the General Directorate of Forestry are providing air support. Thanks to the determined, coordinated, and dedicated intervention of our teams, the spread rate and energy of the fire have been significantly brought under control. Firefighting efforts are being carried out continuously under the coordination of AFAD, with the support of our public institutions, local governments, and citizens."
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