Turkish authorities have declined to authorize an investigation into 36 public officials over alleged negligence in a wildfire that killed 10 people in 2025, prompting objections from victims’ families and opposition politicians, the TR724 news website reported.
The decision was taken by the Directorate General of Forestry, an agency under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The officials named in the case include regional forestry directors and managers involved in fire response and coordination across several provinces: Eskişehir, Bursa, İzmir, Zonguldak and Sakarya.
Under Turkish law, prosecutors must obtain prior authorization from a civil servant’s supervising authority — such as a governor or minister — before opening a criminal investigation into actions taken in an official capacity, a mechanism critics say can limit accountability.
The controversy has centered on a major wildfire in the Seyitgazi district of Eskişehir province, where 10 people were killed, including five forestry workers and five volunteers from AKUT, a Turkish search and rescue organization.
An initial decision by the Afyonkarahisar Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office not to pursue charges in the Eskişehir case was later overturned following public backlash and formal appeals. However, the subsequent refusal to grant permission for an investigation into officials accused of negligence has reignited criticism.
Families of the victims argue that those who died were sent to fight the fire without adequate training or protective equipment. In a legal appeal, relatives of Tolunay Kocaman, a forestry worker who died in the blaze, said he had been deployed without proper fire-resistant gear and that the authorities bore responsibility.
Documents cited in the case file indicate Kocaman did not have fire-resistant clothing at the time of his death. The authorities, in their defense, said such equipment had been distributed amid heavy workload conditions without requiring formal acknowledgment from personnel. The family disputes this, pointing to forensic reports they say confirm he was not properly equipped.
Opposition lawmaker Utku Çakırözer of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) criticized the decision by the Directorate General of Forestry, citing allegations of insufficient staffing, lack of experience among deployed personnel, inadequate protective gear and shortcomings in emergency planning.
“There are serious claims that the fires were fought with insufficient personnel and equipment, that inexperienced staff were sent into the field, that protective gear was not provided, and that emergency plans were inadequate,” Çakırözer said. “While we expect an effective, transparent and independent investigation, the refusal to grant permission has deeply harmed the conscience of victims’ families and the public.”
He added that accountability was essential to prevent similar tragedies and said those responsible must be identified and held to account.
The case adds to ongoing scrutiny of disaster response and oversight in Turkey, where large-scale wildfires in recent years have raised questions about preparedness, coordination and institutional responsibility.
