ISTANBUL (news.am, DailySabah.com) — Two people died and two others were taken to the hospital as a result of a fire that broke out in the lodgings area of the Surp Pirgiç (Prgich) [Holy Savior] Armenian Catholic Church in the Beyoglu district of Istanbul, Turkey. The fire broke out on Monday, January 24, at around 9:45 p.m., according to Turkish NTV.
Firefighters who went to the scene managed to put out the fire after four hours with difficulty. The rescuers reported two dead. Two others were hospitalized due to smoke inhalation, and four additional people were evacuated.
Beyoğlu District Governor Mustafa Demirelli, who arrived after receiving information about the firefighters’ efforts, shared that fire at Surp Pırgiç Armenian Catholic Church’s lodging broke out for unknown reasons, adding, “Our fire brigade started fire extinguishing efforts quickly. As of now, our firefighters are working on cooling.”
The spiritual leader of the Armenian Catholic Community of Turkey, Archbishop Levon Zekiyan, also came to the region where the incident took place.
