Inferno at Istanbul Airport Destroys Cargo Depot
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
ISTANBUL, Turkey – A quick spreading fire burned down most of the cargo section of Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport yesterday, forcing 2,000 workers to flee the thick black smoke that closed one runway to traffic and disrupted flights.
The inferno collapsed a large part of the cargo building, causing millions of dollars in damage. Three were treated for smoke inhalation, authorities said.
“Our biggest consolation is there is no loss of life,” the manager of the Havas cargo and ground services company, Mujdat Yucel, said.
Firefighting planes filled with water from the nearby Marmara Sea made sorties to douse the flames, flying low and at an angle to avoid a Turkish Airlines building. Dozens of fire trucks also responded, and the blaze was brought under control after four hours.
