Ten workers killed battling wildfires in Turkey

At least 10 forestry and rescue workers have been killed while battling wildfires in Turkey’s central Eskisehir province.

Some 24 forest workers and volunteer rescue personnel were left “trapped inside the fire” following a change in the direction of the wind, Turkey’s Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said in a post on X.

Five forestry workers and five volunteers from the AKUT rescue organisation lost their lives and 14 forest workers were taken to hospital, he said.

The blaze in the Seyitgazi district of the province began on Tuesday morning and started spreading towards nearby areas, local media said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan shared his condolences on X. “I pray for God’s mercy on our brothers and sisters who fought at the cost of their lives to protect our forests, and I offer my condolences to their families and our nation,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nebi Hatipoglu, the constituency’s lawmaker said the community was “experiencing deep grief” over the loss of the “heroic forest workers who were martyred while fighting the flames”.

Temperatures across the country have surpassed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in recent days and fires are currently burning across five areas – Sakarya, Bilecik, Eskisehir, İzmir, Karabuk and Manisa.

Hundreds of wildfires have broken out across Turkey this summer, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes.

AKUT Search and Rescue Association is a non-governmental organisation for disaster search and rescue relief.