19.02.2025 08:01
In a fire that broke out in a shanty in the Altındağ district of Ankara, Ülker Güleryüz (81), known in the neighborhood as 'Aunt Necla' and a lover of animals, lost her life. The moments of the fire were captured on a mobile phone by bystanders, and the words of the person filming at that moment drew attention: "The old woman's house is on fire. Aunt Necla, get out! They burned the woman alive."
The fire broke out in the shanty house of Ülker Güleryüz, known among the locals as Aunt Necla, who was recognized for taking care of street animals, located on 745th street in the Gültepe neighborhood of the Altındağ district around 19:50.
TRAPPED IN THE HOUSE
Upon the reports of the flames rising from the shanty, fire, police, and medical teams were dispatched to the area. While the fire was extinguished by the fire crews, Güleryüz, who was trapped inside the house, was rescued. During the medical team's examination, it was determined that Güleryüz had lost her life. The woman's body was taken to the Forensic Medicine Institution morgue for an autopsy.
According to the initial investigations conducted by the fire and police teams, it was stated that the fire originated from an electric heater in the house, while a broad investigation was launched to explore the possibility of arson.
CAMERA CAPTURES THE REACTION OF THE WOMAN TO THE MUNICIPAL TEAMS TAKING HER DOG
Meanwhile, it was revealed that Ülker Güleryüz reacted to the municipal teams that came to take her dog, which she had been feeding, in the morning hours of yesterday (February 18), and that bystanders recorded these moments on their mobile phones.
'ALLEGATION OF ARSON'
Animal lovers who learned about the fire came to the area, while neighbor Yasemin Ünal stated that she last spoke with Güleryüz around 17:00 before entering the house and that no gas cylinder or stove was used in the house. For this reason, Ünal indicated that the house might have been set on fire, saying, "I saw the fire, I ran and broke the door. I shouted, 'Aunt Necla, come out,' maybe she got up at that moment, fell. I don't know if she was poisoned by smoke or burned to death, but most likely she burned to death. I tried to extinguish it with water, but I couldn't."
CALL FOR INVESTIGATION FROM ANIMAL LOVERS
After receiving the news of the fire, Haydar Özkan, Vice President of the Animal Rights Federation, who arrived at the scene, stated, "This morning, the Altındağ Municipality teams took the aunt's microchipped dog, and in the evening, animal-hating accounts on social media targeted the aunt. What does it mean to take the animals of an 80-year-old woman? As a result of these targetings, our aunt burned to death here. We want an investigation to be opened against all accounts that targeted our aunt."