A fire in Kurdish-populated southeast Turkey last year, which devastated the same region where 15 people recently died, was caused by faulty power lines, with the state-run electricity distribution company DEDAŞ held liable and ordered to compensate villagers.
On 8 June 2023, a fire broke out in the rural Karabudak (Sîpyag) neighbourhood of Şınar (Xana Axpar) in Diyarbakır (Amed), burning 167 acres of land. Five landowners who cannot be named lodged complaints against Turkish state-run Dicle Elektrik Dağıtım A.Ş. (Tigris Electrical Distribution Ltd, or DEDAŞ), and an expert report confirmed that the fire originated from power lines. Diyarbakır Civil Court of the First Instance No.10 ruled in favour of the villagers, ordering DEDAŞ to pay compensation.
The report noted that the connection points joining conductors to insulators became deformed over time due to changes in temperature, causing sparks. It noted that there were violations of the Electrical Strong Current Facilities Regulations, which mandates that such facilities must not pose a danger to people or property. The report concluded, “DEDAŞ is legally responsible for safely operating the electrical distribution network and ensuring proper maintenance. Despite knowing the risks, necessary maintenance and repairs were not performed, making DEDAŞ primarily liable.”
Ahmet İnan, General Secretary of the Diyarbakır Bar Association’s Urban and Environmental Law Commission, said, “The same DEDAŞ system caused fires in the same area last year. Despite DEDAŞ having been held responsible last year, dozens of people died in another fire in the same region this year. This is a foreseeable disaster, indicating possible intent rather than mere negligence.”
