House fire in Turkey kills nine Syrian refugees, including mother and her six children

Father ends up in hospital after trying to save his family from blaze apparently caused by stove heater

A file photo of the Boynuyogun refugee camp that houses about 8,500 refugees from northern Syria in Hatay, Turkey. Getty

A house fire in north-western Turkey believed to have been caused by a heater has left eight children and a woman dead.

The victims were Syrian refugees, an official said on Wednesday.

The fire broke out late on Tuesday on the first floor of a four-storey building in the Yildirim district in Bursa province, governor Yakup Canbolat said.

The victims were six siblings aged between 1 and 10, their mother, 31, and two cousins aged 10 and 11.

Their father, who was not at home when the fire broke out, tried to rescue his family but was taken to hospital with smoke inhalation, Mr Canbolat said.

“Our fire extinguishing teams immediately rushed to the area and tried to put out the fire, but unfortunately, after the fire was extinguished, the picture inside was saddening. We were deeply saddened,” Mr Canbolat said.

“It’s a huge heartbreak. It’s impossible to describe.”

A preliminary inspection of the scene indicated the fire was caused by a stove heater, Mr Canbolat said.

Three neighbours were also taken to hospital with smoke inhalation.

Turkey is home to 3.7 million refugees from Syria.