Electrical fault triggers deadly wildfire in southeastern region: Report

DIYARBAKIR

The major agricultural fire in the country's southeastern region has been caused by a malfunction on an electrical pole, killing 15 people, according to a preliminary expert report.

The fire, which ignited in Diyarbakır's Çınar district late on June 20, rapidly proliferated and engulfed residential areas in both Diyarbakır and the neighboring province of Mardin. Authorities initially reported the death toll as 12, but the number rose to 15 as three more victims succumbed to their injuries in the following days.

The provisional report, prepared by a group of experts — comprising electrical, cartographic and agricultural engineers — submitted to the prosecutor's office, pinpointed the absence of an automatic circuit breaker on the electrical pole as a critical flaw.

Instead of a proper fuse, the pole was rigged with a conductive wire. When the wire snapped, it ignited the dry grass below, and the resulting fire, fanned by strong winds, spread over a wide area.

The electricity distribution administration in Diyarbakır earlier refuted these allegations, asserting that local farmers were responsible for the fire by intentionally burning stubble to clear their fields.

As the report was incorporated into the indictment, the chief prosecutor requested the expert team to compile a more comprehensive analysis.

Meanwhile, Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı announced the completion of the damage assessment related to the incident.

The wildfire ravaged 7,900 decares of agricultural land in Diyarbakır and 7,000 decares in Mardin. Additionally, the blaze led to the tragic loss of 924 sheep and goats.

The authorities initially allocated 3 million Turkish Liras for Diyarbakır and 2 million liras for Mardin to address the damage.