30.06.2025 16:53
It has been revealed that the fire, which started from the burning of waste in the garden of a facility in the Gaziemir district of Izmir and spread to the forest, merged with the fire set by a person who poured gasoline on his house in the same area. H.Ö., who poured gasoline on his house, has been taken into custody, while tradespeople in two separate auto gallery sites affected by the flames are trying to recover from their injuries.
While the intervention continues for the forest fire that broke out yesterday between the Kuyucak neighborhood of the Menderes district and the Orhanlı neighborhood of the Seferihisar district, another fire broke out in the Gaziemir district around 3:00 PM on the same day. The fire, which was determined to have started from the burning of waste in the garden of a facility in Gaziemir, also spread to the forest in the Beyazevler area. Helicopters and planes belonging to the İzmir Regional Directorate of Forestry, as well as fire trucks and water supply vehicles, were dispatched to the region.
FLAMES SPREAD TO 2 SEPARATE SITES
With the effect of the wind, the spreading flames also reached two separate sites where car dealerships are located. The flames caused damage to many vehicles and a four-story white goods warehouse. While many people tried to move their vehicles away from the fire zone, some were injured with minor scratches in the chaos. Due to the strong winds blowing at speeds between 70 and 117 km/h, difficulties were experienced in the extinguishing efforts. The flames were extinguished in the evening hours.
FLAMES IN THE TWO FIRES HAVE MERGED
Forest officials stated that they determined the flames here merged with the fire started by a person who set his house on fire with gasoline in the same area. The procedures for H.Ö. (44), who was detained by the İzmir Provincial Police Department's Public Order Branch teams, are ongoing.
DAMAGE ASSESSMENT WORK HAS STARTED
Officials from the Provincial Directorate of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change have started damage assessment work following the fire, while affected tradespeople are trying to heal their wounds. Salih Nasman (40), the manager of the white goods warehouse, said, "It's a shame, our forests burned. On top of that, our breadwinner burned. Think of our pain."
"OUR HANDS WERE CUT"
Car dealer Okan Başer (30) stated that what happened was a complete disaster, saying, "While trying to escape our vehicles from the fire, we broke the window and tried to push them away without even having the chance to grab the keys. During this time, our hands were cut. Many vehicles burned, but thank God; we are safe. We learned that one person has been detained regarding the fire," he said.
"WE BROKE THE WINDOWS AND TRIED TO MOVE AWAY"
Car dealer Recep Taş (50) also mentioned that he had 5 shops and many vehicles in the site, saying, "When the fire broke out, we panicked suddenly. We tried to escape our vehicles from the flames. Even though the keys were in the office, we couldn't find them due to panic and excitement. We tried to break the windows of most of them and move them away. The surrounding citizens also helped. But still, we couldn't save two of our vehicles from burning. The biggest reason for this fire is that the municipality has a dump in the industrial area. They are burning it; the flames come here with the wind. It spread from there to the forest, and from the forest to the white goods warehouse. It also affected our workplaces from the warehouse," he said.
"IT WAS LIKE A DOOMSDAY"
Car dealer Uğurcan Sırmalı (33) said, "Our shop was closed on Sunday. We heard about the fire and came to our workplace. Three of our vehicles burned. I don't know what to do or where to go. May God never let us experience such a thing again. We have friends who broke the window to escape their cars from the fire and got injured. There are those who crashed while trying to escape by car and even those who had heart attacks. That day, this place was like a doomsday," he said.