(Photo: Anadolu Agency)

Five forest workers and five Search and Rescue Association (AKUT) volunteers tragically lost their lives while responding to a forest fire in Eskişehir, Türkiye last 23 July. Due to a sudden wind shift, the team became trapped in the flames and was unable to escape.

BWI affiliates ORMAN-İŞ and TARIM ORMAN-İŞ emphasised that these were not isolated accidents, but preventable tragedies rooted in systemic negligence. Union leaders pointed to chronic understaffing, inadequate training, and the erosion of merit-based appointments as underlying causes - issues they have repeatedly raised in recent years to prevent precisely such catastrophic outcomes.

“In recent years, we’ve seen unqualified and inexperienced people assigned to wildfire zones. Previously, the Forest Directorate handled this gap through internal training centres, but those centres have started to shut down,” TARIM ORMAN-IS President Yusuf Kurt said.

ORMAN-IS President Birol Gok highlighted the lack of personnel: “There is a critical shortage of permanent staff. A dual-shift system is necessary for effective fire response. In places where six workers are needed, only one or two are present. This creates dangerous conditions and increases the risk of workplace accidents.”

According to the ORMAN-IS, there were 4,200 workplace accidents in 2020 alone, in which 2,200 forest workers suffered limb loss.

The Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) extends its deepest condolences to the families of the workers and volunteers who lost their lives in the fire. BWI stands in solidarity with their loved ones and with the Turkish trade union movement.