A fire at a perfume warehouse in north-western Turkey has killed six people. The blaze broke out at 09:05 local time on Saturday in Dilovasi, Kocaeli Province's governorship reported.
The province's governor Ilhami Aktas informed Turkish outlet CNN Turk that five other individuals were hospitalized, with one in critical condition requiring treatment at a burns unit. The fire has since been extinguished.
Images shown by Turkish media depict firefighters actively extinguishing large flames. Eyewitnesses described hearing an explosion, with one witness saying, 'I looked from my balcony and saw that the clothes of a colleague had caught fire. I took a hose and put the flames out. I then saw flames engulf the factories. There were cries from the building.'
The origins of the fire in the Mimar Sinon neighborhood are still unclear. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc confirmed a judicial investigation has been launched, while the labor ministry is also conducting inquiries.
Located around 70 kilometers (43 miles) from Istanbul, Dilovasi is an industrial town home to numerous depots and factories.
