Twelve people were injured in a severe fire that broke out this morning in a hotel in Istanbul, world agencies report. The incident occurred in the six-story building of the “Pera Plus“ hotel, located in Istanbul's bustling “Bakırköy“ (Cevizlik) district.
According to information from leading Turkish media such as TRT Haber (trt6.com), the fire started at around 06:30 local time on the first floor of the hotel. Due to strong winds and flammable materials, the flames quickly spread along the outer facade of the building, reaching the upper levels. Eyewitnesses to the incident told the Hurriyet newspaper (hurriyet.com.tr) that shortly before the flames broke out, loud explosions were heard.
Dozens of fire brigade teams, ambulances and police were immediately dispatched to the scene. Firefighters managed to evacuate seven people who were trapped on the upper floors with no way out. According to official data provided by RIA Novosti (ria.ru), there were no fatalities in the incident, and all 12 injured were rushed to local hospitals. According to initial information from the municipal authorities, there were no foreign tourists among the injured, but mostly Turkish citizens.
As of 10:58 Bulgarian time, the fire was completely extinguished. The area remains cordoned off by law enforcement, and experts and prosecutors have already launched an investigation to establish the exact causes of the incident and whether all fire safety requirements were met.