six people killed after fire sweeps through perfume warehouse in turkey

Six people are dead after a fire at a perfume warehouse in northwestern Turkey.

Several explosions reportedly rocked the town of Dilovasi,Kocaeli Province,at 9am this morning (6am GMT).

The building then went up in flames with dramatic footage showing fire crews battling the blaze.

Multiple people are thought to have been injured.

The province’s governor Ilhami Aktas told CNN Turk that five people were in hospital,with one in critical condition being treated at a burns unit.

Associated Press has meanwhile said one person was injured.

Kocaeli province officials said that the fire’s cause was not immediately known.

Six people have been killed and multiple others are thought to have been injured following the blaze this morning (Picture: CNN Turk)

The origins of the fire in the Mimar Sinon neighbourhood remain unclear. (Picture: Hurriyet Daily News)

Emergency teams and firefighters were immediately dispatched to the site,and the fire was brought under control within an hour.

A witness,quoted by AFP,told local television: ‘I heard an explosion… I looked from my balcony and saw that the clothes of a colleague had caught fire. I took a hose and I put the flames out. I then saw flames engulf the factories.’

The origins of the fire in the Mimar Sinon neighbourhood remain unclear.

Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said a judicial investigation had been launched. The labour ministry also said it was investigating.

Dilovasi is an industrial town hosting numerous depots and factories,located around 70 kilometres from Istanbul.

At least 169 workers died in workplace accidents across Turkey in October,according to a report by the Health and Safety Labor Watch (İSİG).

That brought the total number of workplace deaths to 1,737 in 2025.

The agriculture and forestry sector accounted for the largest share of fatalities – 27% of all workplace deaths.

Experts at an occupational safety panel last year said 98% of Turkish workplace deaths were preventable.

The panel,organised by the TMMOB Chamber of Civil Engineers Adana Branch,discussed the alarming prevalence of fatalities in domestic sectors.