The owner of a cosmetics warehouse in the northwestern province of Kocaeli’s Dilovası district was detained while allegedly preparing to flee following a fire that killed six people, including two teenagers, and injured seven others.
The blaze, which broke out early Nov. 8 at a perfume-producing facility in Mimar Sinan neighborhood, prompted a large-scale response from firefighters who battled the flames before bringing them under control.
Authorities said the factory owner, identified only by his initials K.O., was apprehended during an attempted escape, while his son remains at large.
Three suspects have been detained in connection with the incident, and seven public officials from the Labor and Social Security Ministry have been suspended pending investigation, Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç announced.
Kocaeli Governor İlhami Aktaş confirmed the death toll, saying, "Six of our citizens have unfortunately lost their lives." Of the five injured, he said, one "is in a critical condition due to burns."
Among the victims were two teenage girls, aged 16 and 17, Kocaeli Mayor Tahir Buyukakin said.
Their employment status at the factory is under investigation to determine whether child labor took place at the facility.
The fire, which erupted around 9 a.m., engulfed two floors of the building used as a storage and production site. Witnesses reported hearing an explosion before flames rapidly spread throughout the premises.
"I heard an explosion... I looked from my balcony and saw that the clothes of a colleague had caught fire," one witness told the broadcaster NTV. "I took a hose and I put the flames out. I then saw flames engulf the factories. There were cries from the building,” the witness added.
