Images from the fire in Çeşme! In his last video before he died, he described their attempts to escape.

The last footage taken by Mine Elmas (35), one of the 3 people who lost their lives in the forest fire in the Çeşme district of Izmir, has emerged.

A fire broke out in the forest in Deliklikoy area of Alaçatı neighborhood in the Çeşme district yesterday at 11:30. Upon the notification of the smoke by the people in the vicinity, 2 planes, 4 helicopters, 16 fire trucks, 3 water supply vehicles, 3 bulldozers, and 1 ground crew from the Izmir Regional Directorate of Forestry were dispatched to the area. The fire, which was brought under control by air and ground intervention at 14:30, claimed the lives of Mesut Coşkunöz (68), a sanitary installation technician living in the area, his son graphic designer Hilmi Coşkunöz (40), and housewife Mine Elmas (35) who were caught in the flames.

"CITIZENS DID NOT KNOW WHICH WAY TO GO"

Izmir Governor Süleyman Elban visited the region and received information from the officials. Governor Elban, who made a statement afterwards, stated that the fire broke out while work was being done in the gardens of 4 citizens in the region and said, "Our teams quickly intervened in the area. The fire was brought under control and extinguished as of 14:30. At that time, there were two settlements that could be threatened by the fire. One of them is the two large summer sites on our left side. Our friends quickly took precautions and evacuated the fire from the summer sites. On the other hand, there are 4 houses in the area right next to us. Our friends are also quickly intervening here. The citizens did not know which way to go. After the fire was completely extinguished, we determined that 3 of our friends lost their lives. 4 people who caused the fire were taken into custody by the gendarmerie," he said.

Governor Süleyman Elban stated that 1 child and 5 people among the residents of the area threatened by the fire were rescued by the teams.

CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION INITIATED FOR THE FIRE

Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç stated that 4 people were taken into custody and said, "A criminal investigation has been initiated by the Çeşme Chief Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the forest fire in the Çeşme district of Izmir, in which 3 people lost their lives. 4 suspects, who are considered to be responsible for the fire, have been taken into custody. The investigation is being carried out meticulously. I extend my condolences to the citizens who lost their lives in the fire and wish a speedy recovery to all citizens affected by the fire," he said.

BODIES TAKEN TO THE MORGUE

The bodies of the deceased were taken to the Izmir Forensic Medicine Institute morgue after the examination. It was learned that among the survivors of the fire were Hilmi Coşkunöz's wife, child, and Mine Elmas' 2 children. It was stated that the bodies of the deceased will be handed over to their relatives after the autopsy procedures. Simay Coşkunöz, the wife of Hilmi Coşkunöz, who was waiting for the completion of the autopsy procedures in front of the forensic medicine institute, was seen to have scratches and burns on her legs.

"WE ARE TRYING TO ESCAPE TOWARDS THE MOUNTAIN"

It was learned that the 3 relatives who died in the fire, Mine Elmas, Mesut Coşkunöz, who had cancer, and his son Hilmi Coşkunöz, tried to escape in the opposite direction of the fire to avoid being affected by the smoke. The last footage recorded by Elmas with her mobile phone camera also emerged. In the footage, Mine Elmas described how the fire was approaching their homes and how they were trying to escape with their children and neighbors, saying, "The place where our houses are located is on fire. We are currently trying to escape towards the mountain. There are 4 adults and 3 children," she said.