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Hundreds escape high-rise blaze – VIDEO

Hundreds of people had to be evacuated after a fire broke out in a 43-storey building.

Black smoke was seen coming out of the Polat Towers, in Istanbul on Tuesday. The tower block is residential and partly occupied by shops and businesses.

There were no reports of casualties.

Firefighters struggled to control the fire, which may have been caused by a technical problem with air conditioning units, according to state media.

Istanbul mayor, Kadir Topbas said: “We could have experienced a catastrophe as at least 1,500 people reside in the building.”

The tower block’s owner, Adnan Polat, said: “All of them left the building in a healthy condition. We also rescued a few pets. Our biggest reward is there was no loss of life. This building has an early warning system and this incident showed the importance of it to everyone.”

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