Ankara mayor forces fire department head to resign

ANKARA – Anatolia News Agency

A fire that broke out in a market hosting 680 stores in Ankara’s Altındağ district late on Tuesday has been extinguished, but the market was severely damaged. AA Photo

The Ankara mayor has forced the city’s fire department chief to resign today, for failing to inform him about a large fire that devastated 680 shops late on March 5.

Ankara Mayor Melih Gökçek demanded the resignation of Fire Brigade Department head Ceyhun Tonguç Karakuş after the latter failed to inform him about the fire in the Yunus Emre People’s Market in the Altındağ district of Ankara, according to Ankara Municipality’s Press Coordinator Avni Kavlak.

Kavlak said the firemen were not unsuccessful in tackling the fire, in which 680 stores were destroyed.

“Our fire teams arrived on the scene five minutes after getting the report and were able to bring the fire under control within three hours, with great efforts,” he said.
However, the forced resignation came because Gökçek had previously warned Karakuş to inform
 him in the event of any large fires breaking out, regardless of the time or the location, according to Kavlak.
Gökçek only learnt about the fire, which broke out at midnight, after receiving a phone call from someone else. Upon this call, Gökçek called Karakuş and asked whether there was a fire, and Karakuş responded that they had managed to extinguish the fire, Kavlak said.

An investigation has been started into the incident.