Accident During Fire Response and Aftermath
Forest Chief at Eceabat Forest Management Directorate Ahmet Yukseland his two colleagues, while they were on their way to fight a fire that started near the village of Büyükanafarta, their pickup truck with plate number 17 AAC 399 collided with a car. As a result of this accident, Yüksel and two forest workers were injured and taken to Eceabat State Hospital. After the first intervention here, the injured were transferred to Mehmet Akif Ersoy Çanakkale Hospital. Yüksel and his friends, whose treatment process was completed, decided to return to the field.
Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim YumaklıDespite the “Rest, rest” warnings of all managers and superiors, Ahmet Yüksel and 2 forest workers returned to the fire area and participated in the work.
Ahmet Yuksel’s Experiences
Forest Chief Ahmet Yüksel stated the following about the accident and the aftermath:
“Upon the notice received on the morning of August 15, we set out to intervene immediately because the region was a dangerous area. On the way to the fire, we had a traffic accident around Bigalı village. There were injuries in this accident. First , we were taken to Eceabat State Hospital, and then to Mehmet Akif Ersoy Çanakkale I was taken to the State Hospital. During this period, I was conscious. During my treatment, I was constantly receiving information about the fire; “I was discharged from the hospital around 15.00, and despite all the insistence of the doctors and the fact that they wrote a report specifically to prevent me from going to the fire, I arrived at the fire site around 17.00.”
Yüksel, who met with Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı and Regional Director of Forestry Enver Demirci at the fire site, continued his speech:
“Despite their insistence, I did not return. Although they advised me to rest, I joined the fight here with the spirit of Çanakkale. For two days, we fought heart and soul with all our teammates and the forestry organization to control the fire. All our teammates showed the same courage, maybe even more. “I wanted to support them, along with my friends who were at the hose, at the sprinkler, and in the field. This is a team effort; “we fought for two days with our entire team and our cooling efforts continue.”
