Turkish authorities on Thursday launched an investigation into the possible cause of a series of devastating forest fires in Turkey that has killed three people and displaced 50 others.
Several wildfires broke out from Wednesday to Thursday in Turkey's Mediterranean and southern Aegean regions. One of the fires, which was fanned by strong winds and the country's warm temperature, was contained Wednesday. However, another fire sparked overnight, sweeping through the entire district of Akseki.
String of Wildfires
More wildfires broke out Thursday in 16 other locations, forcing authorities to evacuate people in the nearby resort, holiday homes, and hotels located in the Icmeler region.
According to authorities, at least three people died in the fires, including an 82-year-old man in the Kepezbeleni neighborhood where at lesat 80% of the houses were incinerated. Officers have also evacuated at least 20 villages, as reported by the Associated Press.
In addition to the deaths, more than 1,000 farm animals also perished in the fires, which destroyed at least 1,500 acres of agricultural land and 120 acres of glasshouses.
The cause of the string of fires is now under investigation, with Marmaris mayor Mehmet Oktay saying he does not rule out "sabotage" as the reason. His remarks were later echoed by Turkish presidential communications director Fahrettin Altun.
"Those responsible will have to account for the attacks against nature and forests," Altun said on Twitter.
Fighting Against the Flames
Authorities have reported a total of 53 forest fires in the past two days. However, most of them are now under control after the government deployed three planes, 38 helicopters and approximately 4,000 firefighters.
While wildfires are common in Turkey's Mediterranean and Aegean regions, especially during summer months, some have suspected the forest fires to be arson.
Across Turkish social media, many have promoted claims that the PKK terrorist group "Children of the Fire Initiative" were responsible for the series of fires that recently hit the country. These claims came after several PKK sympathizers celebrated the wildfire on Twitter.
The initiative has yet to release a statement claiming responsibility for the fires. However, the group had previously burned Turkey's forests for "vengeance."
"Two or three youths may well gather and do something. They may say 'we don't have a weapon' but their weapons are lighters and matches," one of the PKK's highest ranking members, Murat Karayilan, had previously said, as reported by the Daily Sabah.
Another high-ranking PKK terrorist, Semdin Sakik, echoed Karayilan's remarks. However, he also noted that they would burn down properties if they see the need to.
"If we run out of weapons, we will go to Bodrum and burn their yachts, go to Antalya to burn their greenhouses, go to Istanbul to burn their cars and go to Izmir to burn their forests," he said, according to the Sabah.
In October 2020, four Turkish provinces also fell victim to PKK members who burned forests in southern Hatay province's Belen district. The Children of Fire Initiative later celebrated the act and praised the terrorist who burned the forests.
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