Fire burns 100 hectares of forest in Turkey’s Bolu to ash

BOLU – Doğan News Agency

A fire that erupted in the northwestern province of Bolu on Sept. 2 burned around 100 hectares of forest land to ash before being brought under control after two days, Bolu Director of Forestry Hasan Keskin stated on Sept. 5. 

Keskin said cooling works are currently ongoing in the area via land and air.
 
“According to our estimates, around 100 hectares of land were damaged due to the fire. A clearer picture will emerge after more extensive analysis in the area. The fire is believed to have been started in the weeds next to the Göynük-Taraklı road. There is no picnic area there but we believe that a cigarette [stub] may have sparked the fire. Analysis is continuing and gendarmerie teams are continuing their works,” he said.  

The fire in Bolu’s Göynük district, near the village of İbrahimözü, was brought under control with five firefighting helicopters, 33 water sprinklers, 10 tankers, eight dozers, three graders, 20 water tanks, and 780 workers including locals in the area. Some 22 people were hospitalized after being affected by the smoke during fire extinguishing efforts. 

The fire is thought to have spread particularly fast due to strong winds. It was eventually brought under control toward the morning of Sept. 4 following a land and air intervention, but as cooling works were ongoing the fire once again became erupted at around 1.30 p.m. on the same day amid strong winds. 

The authorities were thinking of evacuating the Safranlar neighborhood, which is made up of around 20 households, but the danger once again subsided upon a shift in the direction of the wind. The fire was eventually brought under total control at around 11 p.m. on Sept. 4. 

Hasan Keskin said many of the regional directorates of forestry near Bolu had helped them with the fire extinguishing efforts. 

“There are 220 fire workers and they have helped a lot to extinguish the fire. After this point, the field will be evacuated and the extent of the damage will be assessed,” Keskin said.

By the end of March next year, the Bolu regional directorate of forestry plans to have reforested all the lands affected by the fire, he added.