614 Open Area Fires broke out in Muğla in 2026, the role of the human factor

According to the statement made by Muğla Metropolitan Municipality Fire Department, 614 open area fires have broken out across the province since the beginning of 2026. While it was determined that 392 of the fires were caused by humans and 142 by electricity, the cause of 80 of them could not be determined. It was determined that 2,682 of the 3,869 open area fires that occurred in the 2024-2026 period were caused by humans and 766 by electricity. The cause of 421 fires could not be determined. The human factor came to the fore in approximately 7 out of every 10 open area fires that occurred in Muğla during the same period. The main causes of human-caused fires were cigarettes thrown without being extinguished, ashes and embers, uncontrolled cleaning fires and burning stubble. According to the data, approximately 20 percent of open area fires in the said period were electrical, and 11 percent were fires of undetermined cause. Muğla Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ahmet Aras, whose views were included in the statement, pointed out that the risk of forest fire increases with the rise of temperatures in the summer months and stated that most of the fires are human-caused. Aras asked residents and holidaymakers to be more sensitive to forest fires.