24.07.2025 18:48
It has been revealed that Sercan Ütni and Hilmi Şahin, who were martyred in the forest fire that broke out in the Seyitgazi district of Eskişehir and spread to Afyonkarahisar, started working on the same day three years ago. A colleague of the martyrs stated, "We are very saddened, our hearts are broken. There are cries of anguish within us. Our friends were very good people."
A painful coincidence has emerged regarding Sercan Ütni and Hilmi Şahin, who were martyred while intervening in the fire that broke out in the Seyitgazi district of Eskişehir and spread to the Sarıcaova village in the İhsaniye district of Afyonkarahisar.
Sercan Ütni THEY STARTED WORK ON THE SAME DAY 3 YEARS AGO Flags were hung at the homes of 26-year-old Sercan Ütni and 23-year-old Hilmi Şahin, who served in the Eskere Forest Management Directorate in the Beyağaç district of Denizli, and in the neighborhoods of Geriçam and Sazak where they lived.
The colleagues of the martyred workers in Beyağaç experienced great sorrow with the sad news. Turkish flags were also spread over the beds in the building where Ütni and Şahin worked.
Hilmi Şahin The forest workers, who started work together on the same day on August 23, 2022, were martyred in the fire area in the İhsaniye district of Afyonkarahisar on Tuesday, July 22, while they were there to support the fire.
"WE ARE CRYING INSIDE" Mohammed İlke, an employee of the Eskere Forest Management Directorate, told reporters that they received the sad news of their friends' martyrdom with a painful phone call. İlke said, "We are very sad, our hearts are broken. We are crying inside. Our friends were very good people." Forest worker Ramazan Kazan expressed that they spent more time with their colleagues than with their families in their sacred duty.
The martyred workers' colleagues kept vigil at the workplace and received condolences. "WE COULDN'T LOOK AT THEIR FAMILIES' FACES" Kazan, expressing that they will keep the memories of their martyred friends alive, said, "When the first news came, their families were here too. We couldn't say anything to them. We couldn't look at their families' faces. We were together in good times and bad. Our pain is very great. Despite our sorrow, we are keeping our vigil here 24/7 to protect our green homeland. It may seem like an easy job from the outside. However, we are carrying out a high-risk duty. We pray for our friends. May their places be paradise." he said.
"DESPITE EVERYTHING, WE WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP VIGIL FOR OUR GREEN HOMELAND" Veli Yılmaz, a friend of martyr Hilmi Şahin who shared the same room during their vigil, stated that he was in deep sorrow and said: "I was staying with Hilmi, he was my friend since kindergarten. We grew up together. Our pain and sadness are great. We used to go to the fires in a fun way. They went in a fun way, but we received the sad news. Despite everything, we will continue to keep vigil for our green homeland." he said.