25.07.2025 09:44
Fires that started simultaneously in the districts of Safranbolu and Ovacık on Wednesday in Karabük are ongoing. While teams continue their desperate intervention, 14 villages have been evacuated due to the fire, and 5 personnel have been affected by smoke. Efforts to combat the flames are ongoing with 363 vehicles and 1,386 personnel. CHP Deputy Cevdet Akay has called for support, stating, "Do not leave Karabük alone; every region is burning."
The fires that started on Wednesday in the Safranbolu and Ovacık districts of Karabük continue. 14 villages have been evacuated, and 1,006 citizens have been rescued from 613 households.
"DO NOT LEAVE KARABÜK ALONE, EVERY PART IS BURNING"
CHP Deputy Cevdet Akay made a call for support regarding the fires, stating, "Do not leave Karabük alone. Public institutions and organizations are working here, but it is not enough; more support forces are needed. Every part of Karabük is burning. We are warning the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry and the government. Support forces are needed here. The fire continues in every region with the wind," he said.
MAYOR EVACUATED CITIZENS IN THE VILLAGE SURROUNDED BY FLAMES
Karabük Mayor Özkan Çetinkaya entered the flames surrounding the village to assist in the evacuation of citizens. Çetinkaya convinced a woman who did not want to leave her home in Davutlar village by promising, "Leave this place, we will build a better one for you."
GOVERNOR VISITED THE REGION
Karabük Governor Mustafa Yavuz, along with AK Party Karabük deputies Cem Şahin and Durmuş Ali Keskinkılıç, Karabük Mayor Özkan Çetinkaya, and officials from AFAD and the General Directorate of Forestry, conducted inspections in the areas where forest fires broke out in Safranbolu and Ovacık districts on Wednesday and received information from the authorities.
After the inspections, Yavuz made a statement to the press at Cemaller Forest Depot, conveying his best wishes to the citizens. Yavuz expressed condolences to the families of 5 forestry workers and 5 AKUT volunteers who were martyred while fighting a forest fire in Seyitgazi district of Eskişehir.
"OUR MISFORTUNE IS THAT TWO FIRES STARTED SIMULTANEOUSLY"
The fire that broke out on Tuesday in the forested area of Cildikısık in Burunsuz village, which is connected to the center, was brought under control after approximately 17 hours, and the forest fire that started in Çavuşlar village of Safranbolu spread to certain villages of the Central and Ovacık districts due to the wind, Yavuz reported, noting that the rugged terrain caused difficulties in intervention at times.
Yavuz stated that all state institutions began to intervene from the very first moment and continue to do so, saying, "There were times when we controlled certain areas. However, due to the contrary winds, unfortunately, there were points we missed. Of course, our misfortune and unfortunate situation is that two fires started almost simultaneously."
"14 VILLAGES HAVE BEEN EVACUATED, 1 HAS BEEN DAMAGED"
Emphasizing that dedicated work is being carried out, Yavuz thanked the heroic teams. Governor Yavuz noted:
"As of today, we have evacuated villages for security reasons. We have 14 villages that we have evacuated. Among these 14 villages, only one village has been damaged, our Kamış village. In Kamış village, there are households that have been damaged, both in our houses and in the barns and haylofts due to livestock farming. With the instruction of our Minister of Interior, our Deputy Chairman of AFAD has been working with us for two days. Damage assessments have been made there.
"EMERGENCY SUPPORT ALLOCATIONS HAVE BEEN DEPOSITED INTO CITIZENS' ACCOUNTS"
Our treasury has deposited emergency support allocations into the accounts of our citizens regarding household goods, our Environmental and Urban Planning buildings, and the aid to be made in that sense as of today. Similarly, container houses are coming for our citizens whose homes have been damaged. We will provide them to citizens who request them. Our state will always be by the side of our citizens. We will not let our citizens be victimized in this regard, whether in terms of housing, belongings, or needs."
"WE WILL ENSURE THE RETURN OF OUR CITIZENS AFTER EXTINGUISHING THE FIRE"
Yavuz stated that citizens who were evacuated as a precaution are being hosted at the Ovacık sports camp of the Provincial Directorate of Youth and Sports and in dormitories in the center of Karabük, saying, "Some citizens are going to their relatives, friends, and acquaintances. Some citizens have second homes. They are going there. After we control and extinguish the fire and carry out cooling efforts, we will ensure that our citizens safely return to their homes."
Yavuz reported that 363 vehicles and 1,386 personnel were involved in the firefighting efforts and expressed his gratitude.
"5 OF OUR PERSONNEL WERE AFFECTED BY SMOKE"
Not only regarding citizens whose homes were damaged but also regarding the damages in the agricultural field, assessments have been made, and after the assessments, the damages of the citizens will be compensated, Yavuz explained, "We had 5 personnel affected by smoke in the fire."İşte mevcut HTML yapısını bozmadan metnin İngilizce çevirisi ve img etiketlerindeki title ve alt taglerinin de çevirisi:
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They returned to their duties after their treatments were completed in a short time." he said.
"THERE ARE PLACES WHERE WE HAVE CUT OFF ENERGY"
Yavuz emphasized that all necessary precautions regarding the safety of citizens and property have been taken, stating, "In addition, there are places where we have cut off energy. Especially in areas where fire could spread due to energy, we have taken precautions against potential problems and negative situations that could arise from electricity. Our efforts to ensure uninterrupted communication for our citizens and our working personnel continue by setting up mobile base stations." he stated.
"OUR GEOGRAPHY IS VERY HILLY"
Yavuz, hoping to control the fire quickly and start cooling efforts, said, "Today we experienced an unfortunate situation. 15 helicopters and 2 planes were assigned to the fire. Our geography is very hilly. It is a geography covered with valleys and mountains. Unfortunately, due to the smoke from this fire settling in the form of clouds and fog, our helicopters and planes could not catch visibility in the early hours of the morning, so interventions had to be postponed until the afternoon." he said.
In response to a question, Yavuz stated that the forestry organization is trying to assess the burned area and that this will be shared after the fire is brought under control.
THE SUSPECT TAKEN INTO CUSTODY WAS RELEASED UNDER JUDICIAL CONTROL
Following the statement that the suspect taken into custody regarding the fire in the forested area of Ovacık district was released under judicial control, Yavuz noted:
"If there are any individuals who have engaged in wrongdoing in terms of causing harm to our green homeland, our country, our forests, our citizens, or their settlements, the state will take the necessary actions. Our law enforcement will do what is necessary and will hand them over to the judicial authorities. Our judicial authorities will also carry out the necessary procedures in this regard."
1006 PEOPLE FROM 613 HOUSEHOLDS WERE EVACUATED
In response to a question, Governor Yavuz reported that 1006 citizens from 613 households were evacuated, stating, "There is damage only in certain houses in Kamış village. The total number of those is already 20 independent units. There are barns, stables, and houses among them. The others were evacuated for security reasons, to safer areas for the safety of our citizens. Hopefully, we will bring the fire under control in a short time. After completing our extinguishing and cooling efforts, we will safely relocate our citizens back to their homes." he said.
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