A mother and eight children died in a fire that engulfed the second floor of an apartment building in the western province of Bursa around midnight last night.
“We found that 6 out of 8 children belong to a family and two of them are grandchildren of their parents. The father was out trying to put out the fire,” Governor Yakup Kanbolat told the Anatolian Agency (AA).
“Unfortunately, we lost nine people of Syrian origin in a fire in their home. In addition, a mother, father and child of Syrian origin living on the top floor were also affected by the smoke,” Kanbolat added.
While trying to rescue loved ones and put out the fire, the father suffered severe gassing and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment, authorities said. The burned children were between the ages of 1 and 11.
After the incident was reported, firefighters promptly came to the area to put out the fire in the building, authorities said.
The fire was extinguished immediately after the one-hour intervention of the fire brigade. Another family of 3 trapped in a 3rd floor apartment was saved with a ladder.
After the fire went out, rescuers who entered the house encountered the lifeless bodies of 9 people, including 8 children.
It has become clear that Syrian families living in Turkey are refugees under temporary protection, who have been living in the country for several years.
Preliminary investigations show that the fire was caused by the stove in the room, the governor said, adding that the investigation is ongoing.
