Fire at hospital in Istanbul’s Gaziosmanpaşa brought under control, no casualties reported
ISTANBUL
A fire that erupted at a hospital in Istanbul’s Gaziosmanpaşa district on the afternoon of April 5 was brought under control and there were no casualties, reported private broadcaster CNN Türk, citing the local fire authority.
Some 35 to 40 fire vehicles and ambulances were dispatched to the Taksim Training and Research Hospital to tackle the blaze as patients are being discharged, reported CNN Türk.
No one was wounded or killed in the fire, however, there were some who were “poisoned and were attended to,” said Istanbul Gaziosmanpaşa Mayor Hasan Tahsin Usta.
“We saw smoke. Then, there were explosions,” said an eye-witness identified as Tuğçe, who was a patient at the hospital.
People were reportedly seen running around in panic outside the hospital, as ambulance sirens were heard while patients were being discharged. Some patients, including the ones in the intensive care units, were reported to be transferred to other hospitals.
Firefighting helicopters are arriving to help in firefighting efforts, said the mayor.
The fire could be seen from as far as the Bağcılar district, which is close to Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport.
There were no immediate official announcements as to what caused the fire or how many patients were in the building during the fire, Doğan News Agency reported.
The fire was seen to have covered an entire face of the multi-story building in the footage broadcasted from the scene.
The hospital has 300 hospital beds and 100 clinical rooms. It has been in service since 2013.
