Patients removed from Bursa hospital after roof catches on flames

BURSA – Doğan News Agency

Some 112 patients of a psychiatric hospital in Bursa in Turkey’s west were removed from the building after the roof caught on fire, causing heavy smoke on April 14. 

According to preliminary reports, the fire had sparked from an air conditioner located on the higher floors of the Bursa Training and Research Hospital’s Dörtçelik Psychiatric Department and was contained in under two hours.

“We discharged 112 of our patients right after the fire began,” said Dr. Özcan Akan, the provincial health director.

The patients were taken to the outhouses after the fire began at 11:15 a.m. local time, Akan said.

“The fire service reacted to the flames in a timely manner,” he added, also saying numerous ambulances stood ready by the hospital just in case.

Despite the difficult task, 60 fire fighters and 15 sprinklers worked to extinguish the fire.

Fire fighters were interrupted from extinguishing the fire by crowds and relatives of patients who encircled the hospital building.

Police officers who were deployed to the scene also had a hard time removing the crowds from the scene and closed the roads to vehicle traffic.

While there were no casualties, the fire had caused widespread panic, especially due to the heavy smoke coming out of the building.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, Akan said.