Kocaeli Dilovası Cosmetic Factory Fire (2025)

A fire that broke out on November 8, 2025, at a cosmetics and perfume production facility in the Mimar Sinan Neighborhood of Dilovası district in Kocaeli resulted in the deaths of seven people and injuries to seven others. Following the incident, judicial and administrative investigations were launched, and detention orders were issued against the factory owners and managers.

Course of the Fire

The fire began in the early morning hours at a cosmetics factory located on Mimar Sinan Street in the Mimar Sinan Neighborhood, which also produced perfumes, due to a cause yet to be determined. The incident was noticed after explosions were heard in the surrounding area. Upon notification, emergency teams from the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality Fire Department, AFAD, police, and medical units were dispatched to the scene. Thanks to the intense efforts of the fire teams, the fire was brought under control quickly, followed by cooling operations.

The street where the factory is located was cordoned off with iron barriers to allow emergency teams to operate safely and was closed to both pedestrian and vehicle traffic. It was reported that metal sheets falling from the front facade of the building damaged two vehicles, which were subsequently removed from the scene by tow trucks.

Deaths and Injuries

Seven people lost their lives and seven others were injured in the fire. The bodies of the deceased were transported from the scene to the morgue by ambulances under the authority of the Kocaeli Provincial Directorate of Health. Identified victims include Esma Dikan, Hanım Gülek (65), Şengül Yılmaz (55), Nisa Taşdemir (17), Tuğba Taşdemir (18), Cansu Esatoğlu (16), and Tuncay Yıldız.

One of the injured was treated in the burn unit of Kocaeli City Hospital, while the others received treatment at state hospitals. It was reported that the condition of the injured was generally stable.

Official Statements

Kocaeli Governor İlhami Aktaş announced that the fire had been extinguished and that six people had died in the incident. Aktaş stated that one person’s condition was critical and four others had sustained injuries of varying degrees. He also confirmed that the facility held the necessary permits, that investigations had been initiated to determine whether any workers were employed illegally, and that coordination was ongoing with the Ministry of Labor and Social Security.

Deputy President Cevdet Yılmaz announced that immediate judicial and administrative investigations had been launched into the fire. Presidential Communications Director Burhanettin Duran issued a message of condolence to the families of the citizens who lost their lives.

TBMM Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş, in a social media post, offered condolences to the deceased and wished swift recovery to the injured. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya stated that six people had died and five had been injured in the fire, and noted that two civil inspectors had been assigned to investigate the incident.

Minister of Health Kemal Memişoğlu visited the site of the fire to conduct inspections and gathered information from Governor Aktaş and other local officials.

Judicial and Administrative Investigations

Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç announced that a judicial investigation into the fire had been initiated by the Gebze Public Prosecutor’s Office, with a deputy public prosecutor, two public prosecutors, and a forensic team assigned to the case. Detention orders were issued against three suspects, some of whom were identified as the facility owner and shift supervisors.

Operations conducted in Kocaeli and Yalova led to the arrest and detention of the suspects. Justice Minister Tunç stated, “The judicial investigation will continue in all its aspects with the utmost diligence.”

The Ministry of Labor and Social Security assigned two chief inspectors and one inspector to the case. Additionally, administrative investigations were launched against certain managers and staff within the Kocaeli branches of the Social Security Institution (SGK) and the Employment Agency (İŞKUR). For the integrity of the investigation, the following officials were temporarily removed from duty: the SGK Kocaeli Provincial Director, the SGK Kocaeli Deputy Director, the Gebze Social Security Center Director, the İŞKUR Kocaeli Provincial Director, the İŞKUR Dilovası Service Center Director, the branch director responsible for CİMER, and one staff member.

Inspections and Institutional Responses

After cooling operations at the fire site, a four-member forensic team consisting of a mechanical engineer, an electrical engineer, and a fire expert conducted an investigation. The aim of the inspections was to determine the technical causes of the incident.

Minister of Labor and Social Security Vedat Işıkhan traveled to the site of the incident and obtained information from Governor Aktaş and local authorities. Işıkhan stated that the ministry has been closely monitoring the process from the very beginning, that chief inspectors have conducted investigations at the scene, and that necessary actions will be taken against those found to have been negligent.

Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş announced that psychosocial support teams have been deployed to assist the families of those who lost their lives in the fire.

The bodies of the six individuals who died in the fire were sent to the Istanbul Institute of Forensic Medicine for autopsy procedures. After the procedures were completed, the bodies were transported to Kocaeli for burial. Following the incident, all relevant authorities in the region—including AFAD, police, fire services, health units, and judicial bodies—are continuing their investigations.