Set fire to the Gordion excavation site: intoxicated suspect arrested

Set fire to the Gordion excavation site: intoxicated suspect arrested

11.08.2026 14:50

Yunus Emre Guler, the suspect who deliberately started a fire in the SIT area around the historical Gordion excavation site in the Polatlı district of Ankara, was arrested by the court he was brought before and sent to prison. In the fire he started with a lighter, during which the suspect was determined to have a blood alcohol level of 2.81 per mille, an area of approximately 250 decares was reduced to ashes.

In the Yassıhöyük neighborhood of Ankara's Polatlı district, suspect Yunus Emre Güler, who deliberately started a fire in the protected archaeological site around the Gordion excavation area yesterday, was arrested by the Polatlı Criminal Court of Peace.

250 DECARES OF LAND TURNED TO ASH

The incident occurred on August 10, 2026, in the Yassıhöyük neighborhood of Polatlı district. Teams sprang into action upon a report that a fire had been deliberately set in the protected archaeological site around the Gordion excavation area. The fire, determined to have been started using a lighter, quickly spread towards Beylikköprü neighborhood due to the wind. It was reported that approximately 250 decares of land were affected by the fire, which was brought under control thanks to the timely intervention of firefighting teams.

SUSPECT ARRESTED

Following the incident, suspect Yunus Emre Güler, who was taken into custody by security forces, was found to have a blood alcohol level of 2.81 promille at the time of the incident. After the completion of procedures at the police station, the suspect was referred to the courthouse and was arrested on August 11, 2026, by the Polatlı Criminal Court of Peace on charges of "deliberately starting a fire" and was sent to prison.

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