A fire broke out in a high-rise building in Istanbul today, but officials said hundreds of people were quickly evacuated and no one was hurt, Hurriyet Daily News cites the Associated Press as saying.
Black smoke rose from the 42-story Polat Towers, that is partly residential and partly occupied by shops and businesses, until firefighters brought it under control. Smoke covered the sky.
State-run TRT television said the fire, fanned by winds, burned through the building’s external wall insulation.
Mustafa Sarıgül, the mayor for the district of Şişli, where the building is located, said the inside of the building was not affected.
"The building’s fire-extinguishing system automatically activated," Sarigul said. "Otherwise we could have faced a huge disaster."
Fire breaks out in Istanbul skyscraper
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