2021 Turkey wildfires explained

2021 Turkish wildfires
Location:Mediterranean and Aegean regions
Date:28 July – 12 August 2021
Total Area:170,000 hectares[1]
Injuries:800+[2]
Fatalities:9[3]
Is Season:false
Prev:2020 Turkish wildfires
Year:2021

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[4] in the worst-ever wildfire season in the country's history.[5] The wildfires started in Manavgat, Antalya Province, on 28 July 2021,[6] with the temperature around 37C.[7] As of 9 August 2021, two fires were still burning, both in Muğla.[8] The fires are part of a larger series of wildfires, including those in neighbouring Greece, originating from a heatwave made more likely by climate change.

Background

Since the 1940's the number of fires per year had increased from around 1000 to around 3500. In 2007, the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report said that "Warmer, drier conditions will lead to more frequent and prolonged droughts, as well as to a longer fire season and increased fire risk, particularly in the Mediterranean region."[9] [10] The fires were some of several extreme weather events around the world in 2021.

Wildfires in the forests of Turkey are common in summer, principally in the Mediterranean and Aegean Regions, however, May 2021 was the hottest May for over 50 years[11] and followed a drought, made more likely by climate change.[12] This was followed by near to above average June temperatures with positive temperature anomalies below and ample rainfall, however, this did not impede the fires in Kaş, Tarsus and Marmaris on 26 and 27 June.[13] Much stronger heat followed in the second half of July, as some regions reached positive temperature anomalies of up to, and a temperature reading of 36C was recorded as far north as Istanbul, where seasonal daytime temperatures would have been around 27C.[14] [15] [16]

The fires

Copernicus satellites measured the maximum daily heat intensity at about 20 gigawatts, four times the previous record in Turkey, and EFFIS estimates placed the total area burnt at almost ten times the average for early August.[17] Nine people died in the wildfires, at least two of them firefighters.[3] [18] Three deadly casualties were reported from the fire in Manavgat.[19] 18 villages in Antalya and 16 villages in Adana and Mersin were evacuated.[20] Most injuries were due to smoke inhalation.[21] More than 4,000 tourists and staff in 2 hotels in Bodrum were evacuated by sea,[22] [23] by the Turkish Coastguard helped by private boats.[24] Minister of Environment and Urban Planning Murat Kurum said that over 100 art museums would have to be demolished.[25] The president declared parts of 5 southern provinces disaster zones.[26] By 2 August 2021, it was estimated that about 160'000 acres of forests have fallen victim to the fires.[27]

During the first few days of August new fires broke out in the west, and the Kemerköy power plant in Muğla Province was evacuated on 4 August as a fire entered the plant.[28] [29] The same day some other people near Milas were evacuated by sea.[30] Nearby Yeniköy power plant was also threatened by a fire.[31] Rare summer rain in Antalya on 7 August helped bring the fires there under control, but those in Muğla remained serious, with 13 fires continuing in 5 provinces.[32]

On 14 August, a Russian Navy Beriev Be-200 fire-fighting plane, one of two hired since July to help those affected by the fires in Kahramanmaraş, crashed just before it was due to land. There were five Russian servicemen and three Turkish citizens on board, all of whom perished in the accident.[33] [34]

Most of the burnt forest was Turkish pine (Pinus brutia - in Turkish "Kızılçam" literally "red pine" – so sometimes mistranslated), which can generally regrow naturally.[35]

Reactions

Domestic

Agriculture and Forestry Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said in July that three planes, 38 helicopters and about 4,000 firefighters had fought the fires. Drones were also used, along with 485 water tenders and 660 bulldozers.[36] He also stated that more than 2,000 farm animals had died. The Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said on 29 July that 58 people were still in hospital. Ten people trapped at Oymapinar Dam were rescued.[36] However, firefighting planes could only operate in daylight, and fallen trees blocked access to certain roads.[37] On 3 August the Radio and Television Supreme Council warned media in Turkey not to be too negative in their coverage.[38] Government loan repayments were postponed for the injured, and damage payments were made and interest-free credit promised to small businesses.[39] Public access to various forests was banned until autumn.[39] Opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu argued that an adequate supply of planes is essential as most fires broke out on the steep foothills of the Taurus Mountains where planes would have been more efficient at keeping the fires under control, and criticised the government by claiming that it limited the ability of the Turkish Aeronautical Association to bid.[40] Later on, he said that the president had been ignoring the climate crisis and drought in Turkey.[41] The mayors of the eleven CHP governed metropolitans made a joint statement offering to finance the costs of firefighting planes.[42] Other opposition parties also criticised the ministry: Selahattin Demirtaş of the Peoples' Democratic Party called the government incompetent, and Good Party leader Meral Akşener said she had warned the ministry about the lack of planes the previous year. Pakdemirli said the ministry would buy firefighting planes before the end of 2021. The Turkish Aeronautical Association said that the 5000 liter capacity limit for tenders for firefighting aircraft should have been lower so they could have bid, but the president said they should have updated their technology. The president said that municipalities are also responsible for firefighting, but mayors said they had not been invited to crisis coordination meetings.[43]

In August, President Erdoğan, while busing through disaster areas, threw tea bags at citizens, which was criticized by several opposition politicians, including Ali Babacan who said the act was shameful.[44]

International assistance

The following countries responded:

International Organizations:

Seedling donation movement

Specifically for 2021 Turkish wildfires, a non-governmental organization in Turkey, Çevre Kuruluşları Dayanışma Derneği ÇEKUD, has initiated seedling donation movement.

Following the defeat of Turkey women's national volleyball team by South Korea women's national volleyball team in quarterfinal at the 2020 Summer Olympics with set scores of 3 – 2,[58] most of the players in Turkey women's national volleyball team bursted out their tears. After the reason of their sorrow has been known throughout the Internet, South Korean netizens initiated voluntary seedling donation movement through ÇEKUD in the name of Kim Yeon-koung or Korea Volleyball Federation to help Turkey for 2021 Turkish wildfires.[59]

ÇEKUD began their work to establish Turkey-Korea Friendship Forest Areas in several damaged areas, beginning on 18 November 2021 in Antalya Province. On 1 April 2022, Turkey completed planting operation. According to ÇEKUD, six zones of "Turkey-Korea Friendship Forest" are made: 30,000 in Antalya, 40,000 in Nevşehir, 25,000 in Kilis, 15,000 in Istanbul, 30,000 in Muğla and 10,000 in Osmaniye, thus 150,000 donated trees among 580,000, in total.[60]

[61]

Investigation of causes

, figures for 2020 fire starting have not yet been published by the General Directorate of Forestry, but in 2019 no fires were known to have been caused by terrorism, and in 2018, out of the 2167 total fires 6 are known to have been started by terrorists according to official statistics.[10] However, what started almost half of the 2688 fires in 2019 was unknown: the most common known fire starters were lightning (372) and intentional stubble burning (184).

Boğaziçi University climatologist Levent Kurnaz said that the extremely hot and dry weather helped to start the fires. Some meteorologists also mention the foehn effect.[62] Hikmet Özturk, forestry expert working with the Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion, said that although wildfires are almost always started by people, effects of climate change on wildfires are making their spread worse.

The state-run TRT World, among others, wrote quickly about the possibility of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey and many other countries) being behind the fires. One article by TRT called the PKK the "prime suspect" because "environmental destruction is one of the methods of vengeance used by the group."[63] This was denied by the PKK, as well as the Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK).[64] According to some reports, there were racist attacks on Kurds after it was reported that the PKK was behind the fires.[65] Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu stated that they had "no security intelligence" yet to support the claim that wildfires were being caused by arson attacks.[66] official investigation concerning the causes of the fires continues,[67] including possible arson or negligence.[68]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: 7 August 2021. Turkey's deadly fires raise the heat for Erdogan. The Economist. 2021-08-08. 0013-0613.
  2. News: Turkey: Death toll rises as wildfires rage along coastal resorts. 1 August 2021. Deutsche Welle.
  3. News: Turkey fires: 'It took only a few minutes'. 9 August 2021. Deutsche Welle.
  4. Web site: 6 August 2021. Turkey marks 10th day of forest fires with hopes of recovery. live. 2021-08-06. Daily Sabah. en-US. https://web.archive.org/web/20210806071707/https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/turkey-marks-10th-day-of-forest-fires-with-hopes-of-recovery/news . 6 August 2021 .
  5. Web site: 4 August 2021. Turkish wildfires are worst ever, Erdogan says, as power plant breached. 2021-08-05. Reuters.
  6. News: Rothwell . James . One dead and ten stranded as wildfire rages across southern Turkey . . 29 July 2021 .
  7. News: 29 July 2021. Suspicious forest fires rage in Turkey's south for a second day. Daily Sabah.
  8. Web site: All forest fires brought under control in Turkey except 2. 2021-08-09. www.aa.com.tr.
  9. Book: Alcamo . J . Moreno . JM . Nováky . B . Bindi . M . Corobov . R . Devoy . RJN . Giannakopoulos . C . Martin . E . Olesen . JE . Shvidenko . A . Parry . ML . Canziani . OF . Palutikof . JP . van der Linden . PJ . Hanson . CE . Europe . AR4 Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. . 2007 . Cambridge University Press . 541–580 . https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/ar4-wg2-chapter12-1.pdf .
  10. Web site: İstatistikler. Statistics. live. 2021-08-05. web.ogm.gov.tr. https://web.archive.org/web/20210123051216/https://web.ogm.gov.tr/ekutuphane/Sayfalar/Istatistikler.aspx . 23 January 2021 .
  11. News: Forest fires break out as Turkey experiences hottest days – Turkey News. 30 July 2021. Hürriyet Daily News.
  12. Web site: 91 of 101 forest fires under control in Turkey: Minister. 2021-08-01. Anadolu Agency.
  13. Web site: Global Climate Report – June 2021 National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). 2021-08-03. www.ncdc.noaa.gov.
  14. Web site: Cowan. Levi. GFS Model – Tropical Tidbits. live. 2021-08-03. www.tropicaltidbits.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20210803170903/https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/analysis/models/?model=gfs&region=eu&pkg=T2ma&runtime=2021080312&fh=0 . 3 August 2021 .
  15. Web site: Resmi İstatistikler. https://web.archive.org/web/20201223163236/https://www.mgm.gov.tr/veridegerlendirme/il-ve-ilceler-istatistik.aspx?k=H&m=ISTANBUL. 23 December 2020. 13 December 2020. mgm.gov.tr. Meteoroloji Genel Müdürlüğü.
  16. Web site: Historical Weather on Friday, July 30, 2021 at Istanbul Atatürk Airport, Turkey – Weather Spark. 2021-08-03. weatherspark.com.
  17. Web site: EFFIS Statistics. 2021-08-03. effis.jrc.ec.europa.eu. 29 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210729155534/https://effis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/apps/effis.statistics.portal/seasonal-trend/NOTEU/TR. dead.
  18. News: 8 Confirmed Dead as Turkey Battles Raging Fires for 5th Day. 1 August 2021. Voice of America.
  19. Web site: Gul Tuysuz and Arwa Damon. 'The animals are on fire,' say devastated farmers as wildfires sweep Turkey. 2021-08-09. CNN. 31 July 2021 .
  20. News: 29 July 2021. Three dead as wildfire in south Turkey rages on -minister. Reuters.
  21. News: Wildfires in southern Turkey leave 3 dead, 58 hospitalized. 29 July 2021. Associated Press.
  22. Web site: Fahim. Kareem. Zeynep. Karatas. Under a rust brown sky: Lethal wildfires menace Turkish resorts. 29 July 2021. The Washington Post.
  23. News: 30 July 2021. Turkish fires sweeping through tourist areas are the hottest on record. 31 July 2021. The Guardian.
  24. News: 1 August 2021. Turkey: Foreign tourists evacuated as wildfires threaten resorts. BBC News. 2021-08-01.
  25. Web site: 30 July 2021. Forest fires mostly under control as Turkey strives to recover. live. 30 July 2021. Daily Sabah. https://web.archive.org/web/20210730130621/https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/forest-fires-mostly-under-control-as-turkey-strives-to-recover/news . 30 July 2021 .
  26. Web site: Gul Tuysuz and Arwa Damon. 'The animals are on fire,' say devastated farmers as wildfires sweep Turkey. 1 August 2021. CNN. 31 July 2021 .
  27. News: 7 August 2021. Turkey's deadly fires raise the heat for Erdogan. The Economist. 2021-08-09. 0013-0613.
  28. Web site: Agencies. Daily Sabah with. 4 August 2021. Forest fires, new and old, burn across Turkey's west and south. 2021-08-04. Daily Sabah.
  29. News: 4 August 2021. Fire near Turkish power plant under control – local mayor. Reuters. 2021-08-04.
  30. Web site: Milas. AFP in. 4 August 2021. Turkish town evacuated as wildfire reaches power station. 2021-08-05. the Guardian.
  31. Web site: 6 August 2021. Turkish blaze approaches power plant as wildfires enter 10th day. 2021-08-07. Reuters.
  32. Web site: 7 August 2021. Mass evacuations as Greek fires rage, but Turkey saved by the rain. France 24.
  33. Web site: Huit morts dans le crash d'un Beriev 200 en Turquie. 14 August 2021.
  34. News: Russian firefighting plane crashes in southern Turkey. Al Jazeera. 14 August 2021.
  35. Web site: Birpınar. Mehmet Emin. 16 August 2021. Fires, floods, mucilage: What's happening in Turkey? Opinion. 2021-08-28. Daily Sabah. en-US.
  36. Web site: Turkey fights forest fires raging through country's south. 30 July 2021. www.aa.com.tr.
  37. Web site: 2 August 2021. Almost a week on, Turkey strives to put out wildfires. live. 2021-08-02. Daily Sabah. https://web.archive.org/web/20210802071707/https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/almost-a-week-on-turkey-strives-to-put-out-wildfires/news . 2 August 2021 .
  38. Web site: Turkey fires: Despite extra crews battling hard, hot and dry conditions mean the wildfires rage on. 2021-08-04. Sky News.
  39. Web site: 31 July 2021. Turkey battles wildfires for 3rd day in a row, 88 under control. live. 2021-08-01. Daily Sabah. https://web.archive.org/web/20210731101656/https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/turkey-battles-wildfires-for-3rd-day-in-a-row-88-under-control/news . 31 July 2021 .
  40. News: Türk Hava Kurumu ile Tarım ve Orman Bakanlığı neden eleştiriliyor?. tr. Why are the Turkish Aeronautical Association and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry being criticized?. BBC News Türkçe. 2021-08-02.
  41. Web site: 3 August 2021. Locals in Turkey scramble to fight the fire surrounding their village. 2021-08-04. euronews.
  42. Web site: 3 August 2021. Main opposition CHP mayors express readiness to cover maintenance costs of firefighting planes. live. 2021-08-05. Gazete Duvar. https://web.archive.org/web/20210803202554/https://www.duvarenglish.com/turkeys-main-opposition-chp-mayors-express-readiness-to-cover-maintenance-costs-of-firefighting-planes-news-58377 . 3 August 2021 .
  43. Web site: 4 August 2021. Wildfire reaches Turkey power plant, prompts evacuations. 2021-08-05. AP NEWS.
  44. Web site: Marmaris'te çay fırlatan Erdoğan'a tepki: Türk hekimlerine havale ediyorum. 2021-08-06. www.sozcu.com.tr. August 2021 . tr.
  45. Web site: Greek foreign minister offers support to Turkey amid forest fires. Anadolu Agency. 30 July 2021. 3 August 2021.
  46. News: 5 August 2021 . Azerbaycan, orman yangınlarına müdahale için 3'üncü ekibi gönderdi . 13 August 2021.
  47. Web site: Kuwait to send firefighters to Turkey against forest fires. Anadolu Agency. 8 August 2021. 8 August 2021.
  48. Web site: Friends, allies provide Turkey air support in fight against fires. DAILY. SABAH. 3 August 2021. Daily Sabah.
  49. Web site: Greece says its offer to help Turkey extinguish fires still in place despite rejection. Duvar English. 2 August 2021. 3 August 2021.
  50. Web site: 3 August 2021. Turkey: Anger grows at president Erdogan's response to deadly wildfires that continue to rage. 2021-08-08. ITV.
  51. Web site: Güngör. Hüsniye. Israeli firefighting planes are coming to Turkey. live. 2021-08-13. Dünya News. 8 June 2021. tr-TUR. https://web.archive.org/web/20210806111013/https://www.dunya.com/gundem/israil-yangin-sondurme-ucaklari-turkiyeye-geliyor-haberi-629965 . 6 August 2021 .
  52. Web site: August 2021. Dana Khissimova in International on 13. 13 August 2021. Kazakh Helicopters Participate in Extinguishing Forest Fires in Turkey (Video). 2021-12-13. The Astana Times. en.
  53. Web site: ru. Авиация белорусского МЧС помогает тушить лесные пожары в Турции – Недвижимость Onliner. Anastasia Danilovich. Onliner.by. 30 July 2021. 2021-08-21.
  54. Web site: Polish firefighters put out fires in Turkey. President Duda: Friends in need can count on us. Jordan. Hansen. 6 August 2021.
  55. Web site: 31 July 2021. Turkish wildfire leaves charred home and ashes, as blazes spread. 2021-08-01. Reuters.
  56. Web site: U.S. Assistance to Wildfires in Turkey. 8 August 2021.
  57. Web site: EU sends firefighting planes for Turkey wildfires. 2 August 2021. hurriyetdailynews.
  58. South Korea won the quarterfinal game against Turkey with winning the third set by 28 – 26 (deuced three times)
  59. Web site: 배구팬들, 김연경 이름으로 '산불' 터키에 묘목 기부. 2021-08-09. 5 August 2021. SBS.
  60. Web site: '김연경 묘목'만 15만 그루…'韓-터키 우정의 숲' 조성 완료. 2022-05-01. 1 April 2022. The Dong-a Ilbo.
  61. Web site: 'Turkey-Korea Friendship Rooted with 580,000 Saplings' . 2022-03-01. 1 April 2022. Dikili Ağacım Var.
  62. Web site: 2 August 2021. Criminal complaint against journalist who claimed opposition, PKK started forest fires together. live. Bianet. https://web.archive.org/web/20210802154050/https://bianet.org/english/politics/248086-criminal-complaint-against-journalist-who-clamed-opposition-pkk-started-forest-fires-together . 2 August 2021 .
  63. News: Why is the PKK suspected to have caused wildfires in Turkey? . . 30 July 2021.
  64. Web site: Faidhi Dri. Karwan. 4 August 2021. PKK denies involvement in Turkey wildfires. live. 2021-08-04. Rudaw. https://web.archive.org/web/20210804191846/https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/turkey/040820211 . 4 August 2021 .
  65. Web site: İrfan. Aktan. 8 April 2021. Turkey's forest fires, racism and Kurd-hunting. live. 2021-08-05. Gazete Duvar. https://web.archive.org/web/20210804111319/https://www.duvarenglish.com/turkeys-forest-fires-racism-and-kurd-hunting-article-58387 . 4 August 2021 .
  66. Web site: 29 July 2021. İçişleri Bakanı Soylu: "Sabotaj bilgisine ulaşılamadı". 2021-08-03. PolitikYol Haber Sitesi. tr.
  67. News: 1 August 2021. Antalya, Mugla wildfires continue as Turkey puts out dozens. Al Jazeera English.
  68. News: Peltier. Elian. al-Omar. Asmaa. 30 July 2021. Turkey Is Next as Wildfires Afflict Mediterranean Countries. The New York Times. 2021-08-02. 0362-4331.

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