Six people, including two teenagers, died in a perfume warehouse fire near Istanbul, with three arrests made and seven officials suspended
DILOVASI: A fire at a perfume warehouse in northwestern Turkey killed six people, including two teenage girls, on Saturday.
Five others were injured, with one person in critical condition due to severe burns.
The blaze erupted at 9:00 am local time in Dilovasi, approximately 70 kilometres from Istanbul.
Kocaeli province governor Ilhami Aktas confirmed emergency services quickly contained the fire.
“Six of our citizens have unfortunately lost their lives,” Aktas told public broadcaster TRT Haber.
Kocaeli mayor Tahir Buyukakin identified the teenagers as 16 and 17 years old, though their presence in the warehouse remains unexplained.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc announced three arrests, including the warehouse owner and two senior staff members.
Seven civil servants from social security and labour ministries were suspended from their duties.
Television footage showed two floors of the warehouse building completely destroyed.
One witness described hearing an explosion before seeing a colleague’s clothes catch fire.
“I took a hose and I put the flames out,” the witness told NTV. “I then saw flames engulf the factories. There were cries from the building.”
An official investigation has been launched to determine the fire’s cause. – AFP
