15.05.2025 10:42
A firefighter who lost his wife and two children in a house fire in the Nazilli district of Aydın has been arrested for arson. It has been revealed that the suspect had previously drilled a gas pipe with a nail to create a gas leak in the house, and when this plan did not work, he allegedly drugged his family with ether and started the fire.
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On March 18 in Aydın Nazilli, a fire broke out at the home of firefighter Turgay Gezgin, resulting in the deaths of his wife Fatma Gezgin and their children Toprak Ege Gezgin (4) and Muzaffer Deniz Gezgin (11). It was reported that Turgay Gezgin was not at home during the incident. Turgay Gezgin, who returned from his night shift and learned that his wife and two children had died in the fire, fainted. While the investigation into the fire continues, Nazilli Chief Public Prosecutor Murat Dilsiz realized that the deaths were not due to carbon dioxide poisoning when he saw that Fatma Gezgin still had earphones in her ears. An investigation was initiated.
CALLED HIS GIRLFRIEND ON THE DAY OF THE INCIDENT
According to a report in Takvim, details about the suspect on the day of the incident and his horrific plans were revealed. It was determined that Gezgin frequently communicated with his girlfriend F. T. on the day of the fire and spoke negatively about his wife.
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NATURAL GAS PIPE DRILLED WITH A NAIL
The police learned that a natural gas leak occurred in the house while Fatma Gezgin and her children were asleep, 15 days before the fire. It was revealed that the cat in the house, sensing the leak, jumped on Fatma Gezgin to wake her up, and the woman, smelling the gas, woke her children and managed to get them out of the house, thus avoiding poisoning. The natural gas technician who was called stated that the pipe did not explode on its own but was drilled with a nail.
HE FAINTED HIS CHILDREN WITH ETHER AND STARTED A FIRE
It was determined that firefighter Turgay Gezgin went to the veterinarian a day before the fire and bought ether by saying, "I want a drug that puts animals into deep sleep," and then used it to faint his children before starting a fire in the house.
WENT TO WORK DESPITE BEING ON SICK LEAVE
On the other hand, it was learned that the individual went to work despite being on sick leave due to mental health issues. It was also determined through camera recordings that Gezgin, who gave contradictory statements, left home 9 minutes before the incident, despite claiming he had gone to work. It was revealed that Turgay Gezgin got engaged to his girlfriend F. T. on May 11, with whom he had been in a relationship for a year.
HE WAS KNOWN AS A 'HERO FIREFIGHTER' IN 2015
Turgay Ahmet Gezgin gained great admiration in 2015 when he saved an elderly woman trapped in a house fire in Nazilli, Aydın, by giving her his oxygen mask to prevent her from being affected by smoke. After the incident, Gezgin fainted and was widely recognized in the local press for this act of heroism, being referred to as a "hero firefighter."
FIREFIGHTER'S STATEMENT REVEALED
Meanwhile, the statements given by firefighter Turgay Gezgin and his fiancée F. T. to the prosecutor's office as part of the investigation conducted by the Nazilli Chief Public Prosecutor's Office have emerged. It was learned that Gezgin stated in his testimony that he and his wife Fatma Gezgin had previously decided to separate, but reconciled due to family interference, only for their relationship to deteriorate again later. Gezgin mentioned that he consumed alcohol outside at night and did not visit home often, explaining that on the night of the incident, he was on the balcony while his wife was in the living room.
Gezgin stated, "While I was on the balcony, my wife Fatma sent me a message via WhatsApp around 03:30, mentioning that there was a smell of natural gas. Upon this, I checked the natural gas pipes and line, but did not smell anything. We had done renovations 10-15 days ago, but I did not smell anything again. I remember that before the call to prayer, my wife went to the kitchen to prepare sahur because she was fasting. I changed my clothes and left the house at 05:45 to go to the fire station. I went directly to the fire station. At that time, she was in the kitchen," he said.
"I DID NOT SMELL ANY NATURAL GAS, SOOT, OR SMOKE"
In the continuation of his statement, Gezgin said, "When I arrived at the fire station, Hüseyin Serkan Yaşar and Zafer Halilaki were standing. Hüseyin Serkan had had sahur, and they went inside after gathering. I sat with Zafer for a while. Then we got hungry. I then went to Uzun Çarşı to buy pastries and also to get my coat. At that time, I had the keys with me. The key to the outer door of the apartment and the key to the inner apartment door were attached to the same keychain. I usually open the outer door with a code. I do not remember how I opened it that day. Around 07:00, I opened the apartment door and went out to get my coat without entering. At that time, I did not smell any natural gas, soot, or smoke. I did not see anything suspicious. I put on my coat and left the building and went back to the fire station," he said.
"I SAW HER MESSAGE BUT DID NOT RESPOND"
Gezgin stated that it was true that he was seen looking at the house while entering and exiting in the camera footage, and continued:
"I have a habit of checking my surroundings. After or before the incident, I enter and exit the fire station, the house where the incident occurred, or my parents' house while checking my surroundings. If the camera recordings here are examined, it will be seen that this is a movement I normally do. When I returned to the fire station, I ate pastries with my friends. Then around 07:40-07:45, I called my wife, but she did not answer. I also sent a message. I called several times. I saw her messages saying, 'Don't come home too late, let's go to the market. When people wake up, will you call the landlord or the one who caused the gas leak? Call someone to check the smell' when I first arrived at the fire station, but I did not respond. I generally leave her messages unanswered."
Gezgin reported that he called his wife several times around 07:45 and, upon her not answering, went home, adding, "At that time, it was around 08:00."
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I ran into my neighbor while going upstairs. He was also leaving his apartment. When I reached the apartment door, I didn't smell anything. I realized that I didn't have my key with me. I tried to open it with a card, but I couldn't. I rang the bell, knocked on the door, knocked about 3-4 times and waited. If I had knocked every two minutes, it would have taken about 8-10 minutes. While I was knocking on the door upstairs, I heard my neighbor leaving from the apartment in the basement below. After a while, I also went out. I didn't hear or see anyone else," he said.
CONTRADICTORY STATEMENT ABOUT THE TIME HE WENT HOME
The prosecutor asked, "In your previous statements, you said you last came home at 07:00 to get your coat. Now you say you came around 08:00-08:10 and stayed in front of the apartment for about 10 minutes. What do you have to say about this contradiction?" Gezgin replied, "I don't have the luxury of lying. There are cameras everywhere, both in the prosecutor's office and in the police station; I might not remember this issue." Gezgin also mentioned that he came home after his neighbor called him after he went to the market, stating that he wanted to enter but couldn't due to the thick smoke.
The prosecutor also asked Gezgin about a message his fiancée, suspect F. T., sent him before the incident, saying, "Bad things are going to happen."
In response to this question, Gezgin said, "My instincts are strong. In different situations, good or bad events have occurred as a result of my instincts. I told her that I would divorce her. I also mentioned that there was a case. However, I didn't say that the case was a divorce case; it could be a file I witnessed."
F. T., who was taken for questioning, stated that after the incident, Turgay Gezgin told him that he never went home that day, saying, "He already said he didn't stay at home; sometimes he spent time at his father's, sometimes at his sister's, and sometimes at the fire department. After this incident, I don't know if he stayed at the house where the incident occurred. He told me he didn't stay there and went to collect his belongings."
F. T. also mentioned in his statement that after the incident, his family and friends said that Gezgin did not go to the cemetery, and Gezgin expressed to him that he did not believe his children were dead.
F. T. also stated in his testimony that they got engaged on May 11, saying:
"About 10-15 days before this incident, he told me, 'I have bad feelings, something like an earthquake or death is going to happen, it will affect me.' The day before the incident, he told me, 'I have a divorce case tomorrow, this will end.' I told him, 'My divorce took 8 years; it doesn't happen that quickly.' He said, 'Mine will happen; we talked and agreed, everything will end.' After what he said both 10-15 days ago and the day before, I became suspicious of him after this incident. I told him, 'I suspect you; I don't want to meet.' I blocked him many times, but he convinced me verbally. Even though I continued to meet after being convinced, I didn't trust him since this incident. My suspicions about the incident always continued."
ALLEGATION OF REQUESTING SLEEPING MEDICATION FOR ANIMALS FROM A VETERINARIAN
On the other hand, it was learned that Turgay Gezgin went to a veterinarian one day before the incident and requested "heavy sleeping medication for animals," but the veterinarian said he didn't have it and did not provide it.
Additionally, the autopsy report from Adnan Menderes University Hospital stated that the cause of death for the mother and her two children was due to carbon monoxide. However, it was noted that samples taken for detailed autopsy regarding the deaths of the mother and two children were sent to the Izmir Forensic Medicine Institution.
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