Demolition team helps tackle massive factory fire
14 June 2023
Firefighters in western Istanbul, Turkey, have called in a demolition team to help extinguish a massive factory fire that has so far been raging for four days in one of the city’s industrial estates.
A high-reach excavator is now among the machines being used to tackle the blaze, which local media outlets say broke out in a plastics factory on the top floor of a six-storey building at around 4pm on Saturday, 10 June.
It quickly spread to other parts of the building, engulfing several other businesses that occupy the space. Within an hour of the fire starting, eight workers were rescued from the roof of the factory, which is located in Basaksehir İkitelli Organized Industrial Zone. So far no fatalities have been reported.
While the name of the company operating the demolition equipment is currently unknown, the Daily Sabah reports that “the demolition process of the street-facing section of the building is underway”, with dangerous parts of the building being taken down both to avoid collapse and to give firefighters greater access to the inner areas of the structure where the fire is ongoing.
Efforts to put the fire out have now surpassed 65 hours, with fire and demolition teams continuing to work around the clock, alongside local police who are supporting efforts to extinguish the fire with water cannons.
Istanbul Governor Davut Gul and Chief of Police Zafer Aktas have already visited the site to inspect the situation.
Copyright: Anadolu Agency via Reuters Connect
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