Amidst a state of panic and panic among residents of neighboring buildings and tourists passing by in the street, a fire suddenly broke out in a historical and archaeological building in the Turkish city of Istanbul, which is the second largest city in the country, today (Sunday).
The fire occurred in Topkapi Palace and on the roof of the historic building, which is today one of the most famous monuments in Istanbul, and inside it is located a restaurant, a museum and shops that bring thousands of tourists annually, and civil defense teams went to evacuate guests in nearby hotels as a precautionary measure to protect them.
Pictures and videos showed flames on the roof of the palace as well as from its many windows, although the fire initially broke out on the roof of the building, but it soon moved to the courtyard of Topkapi Palace, which made it difficult to extinguish the fire.
Eyewitnesses and Turkish media reported that ambulances arrived near the palace in preparation for any emergency, although the fire did not result in any human damage, except for material damage that was described as “significant.” The media did not mention the reasons for the outbreak of the fire in the palace.
Sources expected that the fire was caused by an electrical fault or a gas leak in a restaurant located inside the palace.
The Presidency of the National Palaces, which supervises the heritage and historical buildings in Turkey, stated that the Topkapi Palace will continue its activities despite the fire that broke out, indicating that the visit to the museum located inside this palace will continue as usual.
