The government of Türkiye is helping citizens recover from the devastating forest fires that erupted on June 25 and burned through July 4, affecting 12 districts and 37 neighborhoods in Izmir, western Türkiye.
The forest fire began in Izmir’s Aliağa district on June 25 and quickly spread to Foça, prompting nearly 10 days of firefighting efforts across multiple districts.
The most severely affected area was the Ödemiş district, where a forest fire that started in the Tosunlar neighborhood on July 2 spread to the Karadoğan, Demircili, Yeniköy and Suçıktı neighborhoods.
Despite intense intervention, the fire was brought under control after three days. In the evacuated neighborhoods, homes and barns became uninhabitable. The flames destroyed not only forests but also damaged olive groves.
Under the coordination of the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), financial assistance was provided to those whose businesses and barns were damaged. In neighborhoods where housing became a critical issue, containers were set up upon request to provide temporary shelter for victims.
In this context, 26 containers equipped with air conditioners, refrigerators, stoves, bunk beds and mattresses were installed in the Karadoğan, Demircili, Yeniköy and Suçıktı neighborhoods of Ödemiş district.
Izmir Provincial AFAD Director Nazif Ekinci said that Izmir experienced seven major fires within 10 days.
Ekinci explained that coordinated efforts involved 3,558 personnel, 73 aircraft and 892 land vehicles over the firefighting period. Authorities evacuated 53,305 residents from 15,111 households and moved them to safe areas. A total of 226 people suffered from smoke inhalation and required medical aid, with 186 hospitalized. Currently, no patients remain in hospitals.
With support from the Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, NGOs and local governments, 4,345 small and large livestock and 1,024 poultry were evacuated from the affected zones.
Ekinci shared that 396 damage reports were filed, with 318 houses, 13 businesses, one storage building and 64 vehicles affected. The AFAD initially provided emergency aid of TL 30 million ($743,242) and later sent an additional TL 30 million.
Those not requesting containers received TL 90,000 in emergency rental support, TL 20,000 for relocation and TL 52,000 for furniture loss, totaling TL 162,000 per household. Households requesting containers received TL 72,000 in immediate assistance, called a "lifeline" payment, deposited within two days.
Under the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, 232 homes, five businesses and 17 barns were declared severely damaged and uninhabitable. Reconstruction planning and site selection began promptly, with permanent housing efforts progressing quickly. In total, TL 33,007,700 has been disbursed to 283 households.
Karadoğan resident Fatma Gölcük described her experience, saying they saved their animals thanks to help from emergency teams and neighbors.
“Containers were set up in our neighborhood, giving us shelter. God bless our government for providing homes. The container even has air conditioning, so we can stay cool. I pray no one else experiences this,” she said.
Hatice Pekserbest, who was rescued from her home where she lived alone, also now lives in one of the provided containers.
