Another suspected forest fire in Turkey; burns 5 hectares of land on Heybeliada island

A forest fire broke out on Heybeliada, one of the Princes’ Islands off the coast of Istanbul in the Marmara Sea, on June 12, burning five hectares of land.

Three suspects have been detained and are being interrogated to determine any links to a terrorist organization, authorities said. While two of the detained were released later on July 13, the remaining suspect, identified only as Sedat D., has been arrested.

Flames erupted at two different points in forested areas on Heybeliada, according to the provincial governor’s office.

“To extinguish the fire, three helicopters and two fire extinguishers were sent from adjacent provinces by the agriculture and forestry minister,” it said, adding that a “wide-scale investigation” had been launched into the incident.

Heybeliada is one of the four Princes’ Islands in the Marmara Sea and the second largest among Büyükada, Burgazada and Kınalıada, famed for their natural forests.