Turkey lost a province to wildfires
The extent of forest damage caused by the 2025 wildfires, which sparked debates over delays in response, has been revealed. It was determined that 3,224 fires in 2025 reduced a total of 81,473 hectares of forest to ashes, with the cause of 1,012 forest fires remaining unknown.
The number and causes of forest fires that occurred in 2025 and turned Turkey's lungs to ashes have been reported. Data from the General Directorate of Forestry revealed that thousands of hectares of forest area were reduced to ashes due to forest fires whose causes could not be determined. The size of the forest areas damaged in the fires in 2025 reached the second highest level in the 2020-2025 period.
THE COMBAT EFFORT IS WEAKENING
According to OGM data, there were 3,224 forest fires in 2025. The size of the forest areas damaged by the fires was calculated to be 81,473 hectares. This size is equivalent to an area close to the total area of Yalova.
In 2024, a total of 3,797 fires were reported, damaging 27,485 hectares of forest area. Although the number of fires decreased, the increase in the area burned has led to criticism that ‘the response to forest fires is weakening every year.’
CAUSE UNKNOWN
The causes of forest fires also drew attention. It was learned that the cause of 1,012 forest fires in 2025 could not be determined. It was stated that the size of the forest area damaged in forest fires whose cause could not be determined was 37,626 hectares. The number of forest fires caused by negligence, carelessness or accidents was also shared. It was recorded that a total of 40,032 hectares of forest area were destroyed in 1,774 fires caused by negligence, carelessness or accidents in 2025. In addition to accidents whose cause could not be determined or which were stated to have been caused by ‘negligence’, it was determined that the cause of 160 forest fires that occurred in 2025 was ‘intentional’. According to OGM data, the size of the forest area damaged by deliberately started fires was 3,546 hectares. The size of the forest areas damaged by 278 fires that occurred due to natural causes in 2025 was recorded as 269 hectares.
Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Türkiye bir ilini yangında kaybetti, published in BirGün newspaper on March 11, 2026.
