Eleven people arrested in Turkey on suspicion of setting forests on fire

Since the beginning of June, Turkish authorities have identified 43 suspects in the setting of forest fires, 11 of whom have been arrested.

As 1news.az reports citing the ANKA agency, this was announced by the country's Minister of Justice Akın Gürlek.

According to him, as part of the investigation into 10 wildfires that occurred over the past week in the provinces of Adıyaman, Antalya, Balıkesir, and Aydın, cases have been opened against six suspects, two of whom have been arrested.

"In total, since June 1, as part of cases involving 64 forest fires in 22 provinces, 43 suspects have been identified, 11 of them have been arrested, and judicial control measures have been applied to 18 people," the head of the agency said.

Wildfires in the summer occur mainly in the south and southwest of Turkey. They are caused by hot weather and strong winds. According to official data, in 2025 more than 3,200 wildfires occurred in Turkey, as a result of which more than 81,000 hectares of forest burned down completely or partially. Data for this year has not yet been released.