Turkey: Cause of fire in Istanbul's Greek hospital undetermined

The cause of the fire that destroyed parts of the Greek hospital in early August in Istanbul could not be determined, the Istanbul Fire Department said on Monday.

The report still noted that blowtorch was used in work involving insulation of the attic and the roof of the hospital building a day before the fire.

It was observed in the report that the wooden roof and ceiling, electrical wiring, window panes, doors, wooden closets, refrigerators, air conditioners and various equipment were damaged by the fire.

The fire on 4 August devastated especially the old wooden parts of the hospital, and could be extinguished only many hours later with the efforts of several firefighter teams.

The Balikli Greek Hospital, one of the three Istanbul hospitals founded by the city's Greek community, has been in service for over 250 years.