ANKARA, July 24 -- A malfunction in an electrical pole has been identified as the cause of the recent deadly agricultural fire that swept through southeastern Türkiye, the country's Daily Sabah reported on Monday, citing an expert report submitted to local prosecutors' office.

The report pointed to the absence of an automatic circuit breaker on the electrical pole as a critical flaw, which is supported by testimonies from villagers, eyewitnesses, and gathered evidence.

The fire started on Thursday night as a stubble fire in cultivated areas spanning the Cinar district of Diyarbakir province and the Mazidagi district of Mardin province. During the three-day fire, 15 individuals were killed, and 78 others impacted. Turkish authorities have initiated an investigation to determine the cause.

The electricity distribution administration in Diyarbakir refuted earlier the claims that the fire was caused by power lines, and filed a criminal complaint against a villager who claimed that electricity transmission lines caused the fire.

Turkish Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said the wildfire affected 7,900 decares of agricultural land in Diyarbakir and 7,000 decares in Mardin province, resulting in the loss of 924 sheep and goats.

  - Xinhua