Turkey Residents Use Unusual Method to Secure Fire Escape: Knitting Bricks onto Door
After the recent fire in Bolu Kartalkaya, concerns have been raised about the safety measures in place at various workplaces. Specifically, attention has been drawn to the practices in Megakent, where both businesses and residential apartments are housed within the same buildings.
In Bakırköy district of Istanbul, it was discovered that the upper floors of buildings which serve as homes had their exits blocked, while the ground floors housing workplaces had fire escape stairs in place.
The owner of one such building defended his actions by stating that the fire escape ladder was constructed according to regulations. He explained, “We closed off the exits on the upper floors with bricks for the apartments. There is a fire exit door for the workplace, but since it is a residential floor above, there is no exit door required. Therefore, there is no door on the upper floor.”
Despite the owner’s justification, it is crucial to ensure that proper fire safety measures are in place for all occupants of a building. A representative from the fire department emphasized the importance of having functional fire exits and evacuation routes for everyone in the building, regardless of whether they are tenants or employees.
It is clear that further inspection and enforcement of safety regulations are necessary to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. Adequate fire escape measures must be taken seriously to protect the lives and well-being of all individuals within commercial and residential buildings.
