While the fire tragedy that took place on 21 January at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya, where 78 people lost their lives due to lack of fire precautions, is still fresh in the memory, the Cizîr Municipality Fire Department was raided with a gun by Atak’s relatives. 

 

A fire brigade personnel was wounded in the head and received 4 stitches. Following the Kartalkaya fire, the Cizîr Municipality of Şirnex (Şırnak), in line with the instruction of the Ministry of Interior to increase emergency and fire safety inspections in hotels, has put the inspection of hotels in the district on its programme. 

 

Dicle Hotel, owned by Kamil Atak, a former village guard chief who was known for unidentified murders in the 1990s and was on trial in the Gendarmerie Intelligence and Anti-terror unit (JİTEM) Cizre case, was inspected by the Fire Department on 20 June. 

 

After the inspection revealed serious security deficiencies, Atak's relatives raided the Cizîr Municipality's Fire Department with guns and beat the fire brigade personnel. A fire brigade personnel who was hit in the head during the armed raid received 4 stitches in his head.

 

REPORT: NO FIRE SAFETY IN THE HOTEL

 

According to the report prepared by the Cizîr Municipality Fire Brigade Directorate, even basic safety conditions, including fire escape routes, direction signs, alarm systems, and extinguishing infrastructure, are not provided in the hotel. 

 

While it is stated that the structure with a single staircase in violation of the regulation threatens life safety in case of fire, it is also noted that there is no gas detection system, automatic extinguishing device, adequate fire extinguishing devices and appropriate evacuation system. Among the findings were that the generator room was dangerously arranged, electrical cables in the building were exposed and lift systems were insensitive to fire warnings. 

 

FIRE BRIGADE RAIDED AFTER THE REPORT

 

Following the findings in the report, 3 relatives of Kamil Atak, the owner of the hotel, went to fire department and attacked the department personnel who participated in the inspection and signed the report. Fire brigade personnel F.T. was injured in the head and taken to Cizre State Hospital. He received 4 stitches in his head. 

 

MUNICIPALUTY FILED A COMPLAINT

 

Cizre Municipality initiated an administrative investigation into the attack against public officials. The municipality also filed a criminal complaint against the attackers to the prosecutor’s office. 

 

MA / Zeynep Durgut