In July 2023, a fire broke out in the forest in Gündoğdu Mahallesi, Osmangazi district. The flames quickly spread due to the influence of the wind, causing damage to 3 acres of land before firefighters were able to bring it under control in 3 hours.
After the incident, gendarme teams watched camera footage and listened to witnesses, determining that the suspect was Ali Öner, who lived in the same neighborhood. Öner was caught and taken into custody while sleeping on a sofa on the terrace floor of his house.
During his interrogation by the gendarmerie, Öner confessed, “I burned the forest because I felt like it,” and he was subsequently arrested. He faced charges of ‘Setting fire to a forest intentionally’ and ‘Intentionally endangering public safety,’ with a potential prison sentence of up to 15 years. In his prosecution and during the trial at the Bursa 1st Heavy Penal Court, Öner denied the allegations.
In a shocking turn of events, Ali Öner was released pending trial after the initial hearing. At the trial, he reiterated his statements from the prosecution and the first trial, claiming, “Your Honor, I am a lover of nature and would never do such a thing. That night, there was a great dump next to the forest where everything was being thrown away. Sofas, furniture, and various items. I just wanted to burn the dump, I had no ill intentions. But when the fire spread due to the wind, a fire broke out in the forest. I was scared and panicked, so I immediately left the scene and went back to my house about a kilometer away. I lay down on the sofa on the terrace and rested. It was then that the gendarmes arrived and arrested me. I am innocent.”
The court ruled on the case against Ali Öner, finding him guilty of ‘Setting fire to a forest intentionally’ and ‘Intentionally endangering public safety,’ and sentenced him to 8 years and 4 months in prison, as well as a fine of 16,000 lira. Despite Öner’s claims of innocence and love for nature, the court held him responsible for the fire and its consequences.
