Fire Quickly Spread Through Fueling Depot, Cargo Terminal

ANN REALTIME UPDATE 05.24.06 1730EDT: Firefighters are now mopping up following Wednesday morning's horrendous fire at the cargo terminal of Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul, Turkey. Thick smoke from the blaze forced approximately 2,000 airport workers to flee the flames, and one of the airport's runways was closed -- but amazingly, no one was killed in the fire.

"Our biggest consolation is there is no loss of life," said Mujdat Yucel, manager of the Havas cargo and ground services company, located at the cargo terminal.

The fire -- which authorities believe stemmed from an electrical short in the wiring of the building's fueling depot -- quickly swept through the building's contents, including textiles and gold shipments.

As crews on the ground battled the fire, water bombers made over 70 runs at the blaze, sweeping low and at an angle to avoid the Turkish Airlines building before dropping sea water on the fire.

ORIGINAL REPORT

ANN REALTIME REPORTING 05.24.06 1130EDT: Huge flames and black smoke billowed 100 feet into the air over the cargo area of Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport Wednesday, injuring at least three people and causing thousands of airport personnel and passengers to flee from the terminals nearby.

"The fire is under control and we're taking precautions to prevent it from spreading to passenger terminals," said Baris Tozar, the undersecretary of the Transportation Ministry, to Turkey's NTV. "There are no problems concerning flight security."

Deputy Gov. Fikret Kasapoglu stated authorities believe the fire was caused by a short-circuit in the wiring of one of the cargo terminal buildings, which is located close to a hangar housing military aircraft.

Kasapoglu added there is no indication a terrorist act may have caused the fire. Islamic, leftist and Kurdish militants are active in Istanbul, and Kurdish militants recently claimed responsibility for a fire at an Istanbul factory.

FMI: www.ataturkairport.com/eng/index.php