Fire at Armenian church’s lodging kills 2, hurts 2

ISTANBUL

The fire that broke out in the residence of the Surp Pırgiç Armenian Catholic Church in Istanbul’s Beyoğlu district left two people dead and two wounded.

After the fire that broke out late on Jan. 23, many firefighters were dispatched to the scene and the fire was extinguished after about two hours of efforts.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

Reaching the body of a man named Fehim Atsup at the end of the fourth hour of the cooling and search efforts, the teams found another woman named Josephine Ekmekçioğlu dead towards the morning hours. Two other people were injured.

The fire caused a great damage on the church and lodging part. Police’s work on the cause of the fire is still ongoing.

In the lodging where six people stayed, two were able to go out during the fire by their own means, while two were rescued by the firefighters. Two people affected by the smoke were taken to the hospital as a precaution.

“The six people who stayed here for a long time were people who did not have a home, stayed outside and were helped by the church, church employee Hatune Demiroğlu said.