29.10.2024 02:30
The General Director of Forestry, Bekir Karacabey, came to Denizli to make a statement alongside Governor Ömer Faruk Coşkun regarding the forest fire that broke out on Başkarcı Mountain in Denizli and has been ongoing for five days. Karacabey noted that the terrain is very steep and rocky, which has restricted the intervention of fire trucks, the most crucial element in combating the fire. He stated, "We can say that the fire has affected an area close to 400 hectares, in a nearly external area."
In Denizli, where hundreds of hectares have turned to ash due to the ongoing forest fire that has lasted for days, the General Director of Forestry Bekir Karacabey, Denizli Governor Ömer Faruk Coşkun, AK Party Denizli MPs Şahin Tin and Nilgün Ök, AK Party Provincial Chairman Yücel Güngör, and Forest Regional Director Ahmet Üçgül conducted inspections near Başkarcı Mountain, which is used as the command center by the teams.
"THE AREA IS STEEP AND THERE IS NO ROAD ACCESS" Governor Ömer Faruk Coşkun, who made a statement regarding the ongoing fire, stated that all institutions and organizations have intervened effectively in the forest fire, saying, "The area where the fire broke out is quite steep and there is no road access. The fire site is a very steep and rocky area. Therefore, this complicates the intervention. In the regions we mentioned, there is mostly no road. That is, there were serious difficulties, especially regarding the access of water tankers. Of course, from the first day, our friends opened roads to these areas with construction machines, bulldozers, and breakers. New roads have been opened in many areas, and it has become possible to intervene from the ground with water tankers. However, the terrain conditions that challenge us; that is, the existing terrain conditions here make our intervention very difficult. Nevertheless, we are trying to intervene by mobilizing all our resources and opening roads. Throughout the day, 7 helicopters have been intervening from the air, and more than a thousand personnel and forest volunteers are continuing to intervene in the fire from the ground. Our hope is to bring the fire under control as soon as possible. This is the goal of all our institutions. As you know, the weather conditions and especially the humidity are somewhat problematic, but hopefully, despite all this, we aim to bring the fire under control in the upcoming process with all these efforts." he said.
"THE FIRST INTERVENTION WAS MADE 13 MINUTES LATER" General Director of Forestry Bekir Karacabey stated that the risk of forest fires continues to increase every year, especially due to the negative effects of climate change, saying, "Of course, since we cannot change the climate conditions in a short time, we need to adjust our situation according to our own resources and capabilities. As the General Directorate of Forestry, we are adapting ourselves by fulfilling all the scientific requirements and developing technologies with our 185 years of experience every day. Unfortunately, despite all this, forest fires occur, whether we want them or not. After the fire notification here, the first intervention was made 13 minutes later. The terrain is very steep and rocky; this unfortunately limited the intervention of our water tankers, which is the most important factor in our intervention in the fire. Since we cannot change the terrain conditions, we started road construction works immediately to reach the fire with construction machines. As of now, we are continuing our efforts to bring the fire under control by intervening with water tankers on the roads we have constructed with construction machines at 7 different points. You know that air vehicles are also being used in this fire." he stated.
"THE FIRE IS A SURFACE FIRE" Karacabey stated that the fire in Denizli is a surface fire, saying, "Since the tree species in this area is the black pine tree with thick bark, I would like to express that 90% of the trees in this area will continue to survive because there is no burning at the tops of the trees. We stated that it is a surface fire. Air vehicles are also working. However, air vehicles are mainly tools that allow the fire at the top to be brought down to the ground and enable the ground teams to intervene in the fires we refer to as crown fires. In no part of the world can fires be extinguished solely with air vehicles. In this environment, where it is difficult for a person to even stand, despite all the adversities, we are continuing our efforts to bring the fire under control together with our friends day and night. Due to the rocky and steep nature of the terrain, road construction works are becoming difficult. We do not give up, we continue our struggle, we do not tire, and we will not tire. By continuing road opening works, we aim to improve the currently positive developments regarding the fire and bring it under control as soon as possible by pulling hoses from our water tankers. Not all the trees in the area burned. I think it would not be very healthy to mention a figure since not the entire forest burned. We can say that the fire has affected an area of nearly 400 hectares, in a close area from outside to outside. From the beginning of the fire, we emphasized that the fire has not threatened any settlement so far. Thankfully, there has been no loss of life in terms of human life so far, except for our friends and volunteers who were affected by the fire." he said.