06.02.2025 09:50
On February 6, firefighters at Ebrar Site, the "black" symbol of the earthquakes, commemorated the 1,400 people who lost their lives in the second year of the disaster by sounding their sirens. Despite the time that has passed, the pain in the region remains as fresh as the first day. The fire chief stated, "None of us could even visualize that painful scene until we went to the earthquake zone. When we first arrived, it was completely chaotic; it was like a place of judgment."
On February 6, 2023, at 04:17, a series of earthquakes measuring 7.7 and 7.6 struck centered in Kahramanmaraş. The earthquake, described as the "disaster of the century," caused significant destruction in 11 provinces. More than 50,000 of our citizens lost their lives, and tens of thousands were injured.
In Ebrar Site, one of the "black" symbols of the earthquake, where approximately 7,000 people lived and 1,400 lost their lives, the Burdur Fire Department held a memorial ceremony in front of the Fire Department. Firefighters, who had completed their preparations in the first minutes of the earthquake and set out to help, sounded their sirens at 04:17, observed a 2-minute silence, and commemorated the earthquake victims.
"OUR PAINS ARE AS FRESH AS THE FIRST DAY" Mehmet Ali Ballak, the Director of the Burdur Fire Department, who gathered his team immediately after receiving the news of the earthquake and started search and rescue operations in Kahramanmaraş 12 hours later, stated, "Today is February 6, 2025, the 2nd anniversary of the Kahramanmaraş earthquake, but our pains are as fresh as the first day. I first wish God's mercy on the souls we lost and condolences and patience to their relatives," he began his speech.
"WHEN WE WENT TO THE REGION, IT WAS A PLACE OF DOOM" Ballak said, "Exactly 2 years ago, I woke up to a painful phone call at this hour. Our mayor, Ali Orkun Ercengiz, said there was a great destruction in the Kahramanmaraş region, but the details were not clear at that moment. We received the call from my President at 04:50. We set out with my 18-person team at 05:30, but we didn't know which area we were heading to. We were heading towards the Southeast, but the province was not clear. The route we would take became clear in Mersin province, and we went to Kahramanmaraş. When we first arrived in Kahramanmaraş, we were also devastated along with that city. Because none of us could even imagine that painful scene until we went to the earthquake zone. When we first went to the area, it was completely chaotic, a place of doom. There wasn't even a sane person to ask for an address while trying to reach the provincial coordination center. We were first directed to Ebrar Site, and the situation was so dire that people were trying to run to the rubble with shovels and picks. Because everyone was after their own loved ones, their own lives. We stayed in the region for about 15 days, enabling dozens of people to cling to life. Unfortunately, after the sixth day, we started to reach the deceased. Actually, we were also devastated in that region; we were also very bad in terms of morale and motivation. But we had to stay strong; we had to keep our personnel standing. Because if we had collapsed there, there would have been no one left for people to hope for," he said.
"I WISH WE WERE PREPARED AS A CITY, NOT JUST AS A TEAM" Ballak expressed that it is uncertain when an earthquake will occur, but we need to be prepared for it, saying, "Two years have passed since the earthquake. We are ready as a search and rescue team, with vehicles, materials, and equipment. This is actually the most painful reality of this earthquake. I wish we were not prepared as a search and rescue team and equipment, but we could make our city, our cities, and our buildings safe. I hope our country does not have to experience such pain again," he said.
"WE MET KUMSAL BABY, SHE WAS UNDER THE RUBBLE" Ali Eryılmaz, a sergeant of the Burdur Fire Department and one of the heroes of the earthquake, said, "On February 6, 2023, we set out for Kahramanmaraş with my team. We worked in Ebrar Site and in Hediye Apartment. We encountered Kumsal baby and Elif baby in Ebrar Site. We had the opportunity to talk to them one-on-one. I mention them because they are babies; otherwise, there are many lives we saved. For example, there was an uncle named Mustafa. Even when he went outside, he never let go of my hand; he didn't want to let go even in the ambulance; we had to part ways with him forcibly. He had his son with him, but we couldn't reach him, meaning we couldn't save him. When we first arrived, we met Kumsal baby, who was under the rubble. It was raining heavily, but after we safely got her out, we went to the other rubble. As Burdur, we are in the earthquake zone. However, I don't feel that we are prepared for the earthquake. Precautions and measures should have been taken beforehand. Of course, we should first ask ourselves if we took precautions as citizens. But as a rescue team, we are prepared for these earthquakes. We have a 150-person team as the Burdur Search and Rescue team, ready and trained. We continue their training. May God not let us experience such disasters again," he said.
"CARS WERE CRASHED INTO EACH OTHER ON THE ROADS" Firefighter İsmail Şahin, who went directly to Kahramanmaraş with his team after the earthquake that occurred on the night he was on duty in Burdur, said, "On the night of February 6, we were already on duty here.
As soon as we received the news of the earthquake at night, we quickly prepared and set off with a team of 18 people from here. As we approached the areas affected by the earthquake, cars were entangled on the roads. It took us a long time to reach there. When we arrived at the earthquake zone, we first reached Ebrar Site. After reaching Ebrar Site, we were able to rescue a baby named Kumsal first. Then we rescued a girl named Elif. After our work at Ebrar Site, we continued to work on other debris. We worked there for about 10-15 days. The situation in the earthquake zone was very bad everywhere. Everyone was preoccupied with their own troubles, and after a certain period, people were hoping to find not only the living but even the bodies of their loved ones. They had almost given up on life and were waiting at the ruins to retrieve the bodies of their relatives. It was a terrible destruction.