The death toll from wildfires raging across Turkiye since late June 2025 climbed to 17 after two volunteer firefighters died in Bursa on July 27, 2025, according to news agency IHA. The volunteers succumbed to injuries in hospital after their water tanker overturned on a rough forest track en route to a blaze in Aglasan village, northeast of Bursa, Turkiye’s fourth-largest city. Another worker died at the scene, and a firefighter suffered a fatal heart attack, raising the weekend’s toll to four. These losses follow the deaths of 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers in Eskisehir on July 23, 2025.

Fueled by record-breaking heatwaves, with temperatures hitting 50.5°C in Sirnak, unseasonably dry conditions, and strong winds, the fires have devastated vast forest areas. Over 3,500 residents fled Bursa as flames engulfed surrounding mountains, casting a red glow and fog-like smoke over the city. Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli reported 44 active fires nationwide on Sunday, with Bursa, Karabuk, and Kahramanmaras hit hardest. The government declared Izmir and Bilecik disaster areas, and 97 suspects face prosecution for fire-related incidents across 33 provinces.

In Harmancik, 57 km south of Bursa, an angry crowd gathered outside a police station, demanding a suspected arsonist’s handover, but dispersed after assurances of a thorough investigation. With 16,441 hectares of forest destroyed in 2,957 wildfires this year, Turkiye’s battle against climate-driven blazes continues.

Also Read: Wildfires Devastate Türkiye’s Mediterranean Coast, Prompting Disaster Declarations

Also Read: Wildfires Force Mass Evacuations as Turkiye Records Hottest Day Ever!