Manavgat returns to life in the first year of the great fire
Türkiye’s biggest forest fire took place last year in Antalya’s Manavgat. The burned areas are becoming green, and houses that have been started to be built are being delivered to their owners in the first year of the great fire. Also, the baby goat which was born among the ashes on the day of the fire, called ‘Mucize’ (Miracle), turned 1 today.
The fire in Manavgat, which went down in history as the 'biggest forest fire' of the Republic of Türkiye, broke out on July 28 last year and was extinguished on the 10th day. In the fire that spread to the forests within the borders of Akseki, Ibradı, and Gundogmuş districts; 7 people lost their lives, 60 thousand hectares of land were burned, and more than 2 thousand houses, workplaces, warehouses, and barns were damaged.
After the fire, the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change also carried out damage assessment work. Then, containers were then given to the victims. After the burned houses were demolished and wracks were moved, 2-story stone houses were built in accordance with the regional architecture. It is stated that the houses are made of fire-resistant materials. 6 houses completed in Kalemler Neighborhood, where 57 houses were damaged, were delivered to their owners. It is stated that the construction of 51 houses continues. Work continued throughout the year to restore the burning forests to their former appearance. On the anniversary of the fire, it is seen that the burned forests are becoming green again.
THE BABY GOAT ‘MUCIZE’ BORN AMONG THE ASHES TURNED 1
Sercan Bayat (31), who lives in Kalemler Neighborhood, had come to the fore with the video he took while shedding tears to save his cows in the middle of the flames. Bayat rebuilt both his house and barn with the support he got. The baby goat born among the ashes on the day of the fire, called 'Mucize’ (Miracle), turned 1 today. Expressing that the 1-year process was quite difficult for him, Sercan Bayat said, “Although it may seem easy from the outside, the process was difficult for us. Our trees and forests will only be restored in 30 years. For the 3-4 months after the fire, when I closed my eyes, I was seeing those burning animals. I found my animals in agony at the time of the fire.”
“36 YEARS OF HARD WORK BURNED TO ASHES”
Urkiye Ozen said that she lost her house and all of her trees in half an hour. Ozen, who says she lost her 36 years of work, spends her time feeding the few chickens and turkeys left behind from the fire nowadays. Having moved to her 2-story house, Ozen said, “My 36 years of hard work burned to ashes. There is nothing left. Maybe my trees will be the same as before in 25-30 years, but in that case, my lifespan would not be enough to see that.”
