Hospital fire kills one patient in Istanbul’s Üsküdar

A fire broke out at a hospital in Istanbul's Üsküdar district late at night on March 24, claiming the life of one patient in the intensive care unit.

The fire suddenly broke out in the surgical block of the Sultan Abdülhamit Han Training and Research Hospital and claimed the life of an intensive care patient in serious condition, a statement by the Istanbul Governor's office said.

Firefighter teams immediately intervened to put out the fire, while patients receiving treatment at the hospital were transferred to other hospitals as a precaution, it added.

The fire broke out on the sixth floor of the hospital at around 2:50 a.m. on March 24.

Upon notifications of the staff who noticed smoke rising from one of the operating rooms, many firefighter teams from the neighboring districts were immediately dispatched to the hospital.

While the teams began efforts to extinguish the fire, patients were taken to the garden to keep them safe.

A total of 109 patients receiving treated in other wards, including 15 patients in critical condition in the hospital's intensive care unit, were transferred to nearby hospitals as a precautionary measure.

During the firefighting efforts, about 10 personnel, including four health care staff and six firefighters, were affected by the smoke and taken under treatment.

Meanwhile, a judicial and administrative investigation was launched to learn the reasons behind the fire breakout.