The 2020 Turkey wildfires were a series of
forest fire
A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...
s that broke out in several areas across Turkey throughout 2020. In the first ten months of the year, a total of of forestland was destroyed in 2,957 recorded wildfires. For comparison, the figures for the previous year were of forestland destroyed by 2,668 wildfires.
, figures for 2020 fire starting have not yet been published by the General Directorate of Forestry.
Timeline
September
A wildfire broke out at Gevenez of
Yatağan district in
Muğla Province
Muğla Province ( tr, , ) is a province of Turkey, at the country's south-western corner, on the Aegean Sea. Its seat is Muğla, about inland, while some of Turkey's largest holiday resorts, such as Bodrum, Ölüdeniz, Marmaris and Fethiye, are ...
, southwestern Turkey on 29 September. The fire destroyed of forest, of agricultural land, haylofts, and some unused, old houses.
October
A forest fire started at Sarımazı neighborhood of
Belen district in
Hatay Province
Hatay Province ( tr, Hatay ili, ) is the southernmost province of Turkey. It is situated almost entirely outside Anatolia, along the eastern coast of the Levantine Sea. The province borders Syria to its south and east, the Turkish province of A ...
, southern Turkey, on 9 October. Within two days, the fire burnt of forest. The fire spread over to
İskenderun
İskenderun ( ar, الإسكندرونة, el, Αλεξανδρέττα "Little Alexandria"), historically known as Alexandretta and Scanderoon, is a city in Hatay Province on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey.
Names
The city was founded as Ale ...
and
Arsuz
Arsuz ( ar, أرسوز ; el, Αρσούς) is a town and district Hatay Province, Turkey. In ancient times, it was known as Rhosus ( grc, Ῥῶσός and Ῥωσός) and was a former bishopric and titular see.
Geography
Arsuz used to be a ...
districts, affecting many residences, factories, and nearly 100 people. According to an investigation, the fire was a result of arson masterminded by İzzettin İnan, alias "Seyfettin", and Suvar Derweş, Kurdish militants in
Afrin Region
Afrin Region ( ku, Herêma Efrînê, ar, إقليم عفرين, syc, ܦܢܝܬܐ ܕܥܦܪܝܢ, translit=Ponyotho d'Afrin) is the westernmost of the three original regions of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.
The region p ...
, northwestern Syria. Two suspects were arrested as arsonists.
See also
*
2021 Turkish wildfires
In July and August 2021, a series of more than two hundred wildfires burnt 1,700 square kilometres of forest in Turkey's Mediterranean Region in the worst-ever wildfire season in the country's history. The wildfires started in Manavgat, Antalya ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turkish Forest Fires
Fires in Turkey
Natural disasters in Turkey
Wildfires in Asia
Arson in Turkey
Wildfires caused by arson
2020 wildfires
History of Muğla Province
History of Hatay Province
Firefighting in Turkey
September 2020 events in Turkey
October 2020 events in Turkey
2020 disasters in Turkey