Fire in Syrian waste paper pickers’ house claims three children’s lives

* Photo and source: Anadolu Agency (AA)

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Three children have lost their lives in a fire that erupted in the house of a Syrian family in central Anatolian Konya province.

The fire broke out on the second floor of the two-storey house where a family from Syria was staying in the Merkez Selçuklu district of Konya.

Fire brigade teams and the police were referred to the scene of the incident after the neighbors saw the flames and reported the fire.

Kağıt toplayarak geçinen Suriyeli mülteci aile evde çıkan yangında 2 çocuğunu kaybetti | Konya Selçuklu Mahallesi'nde geçimini kağıt toplayıcılığı yaparak sağlayan Suriyeli Anne Kader (21) ile baba Cihat el-İsmail (23), gece saatlerinde çıkan yangında 3 çocuklarını kaybetti. pic.twitter.com/Il7iGyLbDj

— Yaşar Usta (@yasarustaportal) June 23, 2021

During the fire, mother Kader (21), who was downstairs at the time of the incident, and father Cihat el-İsmail (23), who makes a living as a waste paper picker, could get out of the building by their own efforts.

Ayşe and Fatma, the four-year-old twin sisters of the family, and their two-year-old sister Nuran el-İsmail, who were upstairs, have lost their lives in the incident. It has been reported that Nuran el-İsmail was trapped under the debris of the roof which collapsed during the fire.

The fire has been taken under control by the fire brigade teams; cooling efforts were reportedly also underway.

According to the preliminary reports, the fire in Konya province broke out due to the electric heater used for the children upstairs.

A Syrian young person, who lives in the same neighborhood and was a witness to the fire, said, "The mother and father were not aware of the fire at first. Neighbors told them. They went out afterwards and asked for help." (AÖ/SD)