SANCAKLI, Turkey: A picturesque village high on the mountain slopes offered a breathtaking sea panorama on Turkey’s west coast – until all-consuming flames turned paradise into a nightmare.
In recent days, fires have raged in the forests and steep valleys around Izmir, Turkey’s third-largest city.
Abdullah Ozata was keen to see the extent of the destruction as he returned to his nearby village of Sancakli, one of the areas from which residents had been evacuated to escape the raging flames.
“Twelve of my sheep and 50 chickens died in the fire” that raged through the countryside, he told AFP, pointing to the remains of burnt animals that had turned to ash.
“I lost all my cattle,” lamented the 43-year-old as he walked among the rubble. “I have no other job or source of income.”
Two officials from the Ministry of Finance photographed the damage and recorded Ozata’s losses for the compensation claim.
“The gendarmerie evacuated us because of the human losses, but I lost my animals,” he said.
“Our village was beautiful, it was like a paradise, but it has turned into a hell.”
After the flames raged for four days due to strong winds, the fire has now largely been brought under control, authorities said on Sunday.
But the fire – the largest Turkey has seen this summer – has left huge charred and blackened areas and destroyed olive trees, gardens and beehives.
In Izmir, at least 43 buildings were damaged, while 26 people were hospitalized with injuries related to the fire.
Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said efforts to extinguish hotspots were continuing, but the flames were now largely under control in one area.
Gokhan Cekmez was evacuated during the fire, but defied official orders and returned to the village across a river to fight the flames.
“I played hide and seek with the gendarmerie and without me and other villagers the extent of the damage would have been much greater,” said the 35-year-old.
“The help from outside was not enough. We tried with all our might to put out the fire with pots and plates.”
In Sancakli, water had just started flowing again on Sunday after the fire burned pipes and authorities were still working to repair power cables damaged by the fire.
Local administrator Ilhan Kaya said agriculture and livestock farming were the only sources of income for the village of 200 residents.
“The villagers have to survive for at least six months with government assistance. We will wait until the burned areas turn green again,” Kaya said.
Gulhan Arasa, standing on the terrace of her three-story house wearing a floral headscarf, was still haunted by the nightmare of the fire.
“I wish the authorities would let me (help). Even though I am a woman, I would take a hose and help put out the fire,” she said.
“We panicked as we were besieged by the flames, which literally spread in seconds,” she said.
Arasa and her family, whose income depends on livestock farming, were able to hide about 100 sheep and goats in their shelter during the fire.
“Thank God they are all alive. We didn’t let them out because we were surrounded by flames,” she said.
But otherwise, she said, “everything has turned to ashes.”
“We expect the state to cover our losses. We want new saplings to be planted instead of our burned saplings, we want trees to be planted instead of our burning trees.”
“God will help, the soil will renew itself, but when? I don’t know.”
