AT least three people including a three-month-old baby have died after a fire broke out at a high-rise apartment in Ankara, Turkey.
The inferno tore through a 26-story building and trapped helpless residents inside – 20 of which were hospitalised, with one in critical condition.
At least three people died after an apartment fire in Turkey
First responders rushed to the scene
Firefighters rushed to save people trapped inside
The deadly fire started on the fourth floor of the apartment building at around 10pm before ripping through the rest of the complex.
Firefighters took about four hours to put out the raging blaze in Ankara’s Çankaya district on Saturday.
People trapped inside the apartment were rescued by a fire truck – but rescue workers were tragically not able to save everyone.
Paramedics rushed to the building and attended to 26 people on site.
Firefighters, police, the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), and the National Medical Rescue Team (UMKE), also attended the horrific scene.
State media also said 39 people suffered light smoke inhalation, including seven firefighters.
Horrifying images showed plumes of smoke billowing from the complex in the aftermath of the fatal fire.
The public prosecutor has now launched an investigation to understand the cause of the terrifying inferno.
The apartment complex includes two separate high-rise buildings, and the fire reportedly engulfed one of them entirely.
First responders reportedly first shut off the building’s electricity and natural gas lines as a precaution after arriving at the burning apartment complex.
It is understood that many people trapped by smoke inside the blazing building where the fire broke out fled to the higher floors.
Many residents were then rescued by crews using a ladder truck.
But firefighters tragically found three bodies after battling the intense fire for hours.
Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş said the fire started in an electrical shaft.
He said: “It spread from the electrical shaft to the upper floors, but there’s nothing left in the apartments.
“When the residents noticed it, they warned each other.”
He added: “Most of them escaped, and 26 people were rescued by the fire department.
“They are also in the hospital.”
Yavaş, who also attended the scene after the fire, added that two firefighters were taken to the hospital.
It comes after wildfires ripped through Turkey earlier this month, forcing airports to close and forcing thousands to flee.
Firefighters battled more than 600 fires fuelled by high winds in the drought-hit nation over the first week in July.
In 2023, a raging fire swept through a block of flats in Turkey, forcing terrified residents to jump for their lives.
The blaze engulfed the building and dramatic images showed the flames lighting up the night sky.
Eyewitnesses said the fire broke out about 10.30pm and quickly tore through the whole block, as residents were seen jumping off balconies.
Video from the scene showed the building engulfed by flames, with plumes of smoke billowing into the air.
Smoke was seen rising from the complex
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