No injuries in Istanbul skyscraper blaze thanks to fire extinguishing system

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18 Jul 2012

No-one was injured in a huge blaze at an Istanbul skyscraper thanks to the building's quick-acting fire extinguishing system, it has been claimed.

Fire crews were called to the 42-storey Polat Tower building yesterday (July 17th) after thick black plumes of smoke were seen billowing from the site.

Hundreds of people were evacuated from the tower, which contains apartments, shops and businesses, as firefighters and helicopters tackled the blaze.

Although the fire caused extensive external damage to the building, officials confirmed no-one was injured in the building.

Mustafa Sarigul, the mayor of the district of Sisli, where the tower is located, told the Associated Press: "The building's fire-extinguishing system automatically activated. Otherwise we could have faced a huge disaster."

Meanwhile, Adnan Polat, the tower block's owner, said: "Our biggest reward is there was no loss of life. This building has an early warning system and this incident showed the importance of it to everyone."

An investigation into the fire, which was believed to have been caused by a faulty air conditioning unit, is set to be launched.

From FIA