Huge fire erupts in military zone in Turkey’s Kilis

KİLİS

Ten soldiers were injured early on July 13 in a fire that broke out in a military area in the southern province of Kilis, the Kilis Governor’s Office has said in a statement.        

It said there were no causalities in the fire and the injured soldiers, who suffered from mild smoke inhalation, have already been discharged from Kilis State Hospital.        

A total of 350 soldiers were accommodating in the military zone at the time of the explosion, Doğan News Agency has reported. Following the fire, the soldiers were reassigned to other units in the province. 

The incident occurred in an area along the Kilis-Gaziantep highway and caused a small explosion in an ammunition storage area. Television reports showed images of black smoke billowing into the sky.

Traffic on the highway was temporarily halted because of the fire, and firefighters and medical teams were dispatched to the scene.        

“The area where the incident took place has been secured and the fire has been brought under control. An investigation into the incident is ongoing,” the Turkish General Staff said in a statement on its website.    

Kilis Mayor Hasan Kara also said the fire was initially difficult to extinguish due to the explosion in the ammunition area but later was brought under control.    

Helicopters of the General Directorate of Forestry were seen carrying water to the scene from a nearby dam. 

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.