All that remains after the fire: 120 lira and 7 dogs

Bolu’s Göynük district saw a two-story wooden house destroyed by fire, rendering the home and all belongings unusable; however, 120 TL kept in a plastic bottle used as a piggy bank remained undamaged.

The homeowner, who suffered significant material loss, found his only consolation in the fact that his 7 dogs, whom he calls "my world," were unaffected by the fire.

The fire broke out during the night at the two-story wooden house belonging to Mehmet Alataş, located in the Yapraklı Neighborhood of Sünnet village.

Noticing the smoke, Alataş attempted to intervene on his own, while neighbors reported the incident to the 112 Emergency Call Center. Fire crews arrived at the scene and conducted cooling operations.

While the house and belongings were rendered unusable, the plastic bottle Alataş used as a piggy bank to save money remained intact.

It was learned that there was a total of 120 TL inside the bottle. With his entire house and belongings turned to ash, Alataş’s only comfort was that the 7 dogs he cares for were not harmed by the fire.

Stating that he smelled something while sleeping at night, Mehmet Alataş said, "I went outside. When I saw there was nothing outside, I went back in and noticed a slight smoke on the ceiling. I saw the fire. I cut the wooden piece on the roof with a chainsaw. There were also fire extinguishers. Both were full. The extinguishers were very effective in helping me put out the fire."

Expressing that his belongings were destroyed in the fire but the plastic bottle he used as a piggy bank did not burn, Alataş added, "It was standing under the kitchen cabinet. I suppose the kitchen cabinet prevented it from burning. I was saving the loose change I came across. My money burned, I had no money left."

"THEY ARE MY WORLD"

Mehmet Alataş also noted that he feeds 7 dogs in his garden, stating, "I give the dogs their food and water every day. Everyone in this region knows it. These are my children. Thank God nothing happened to the dogs. I would have been very sad then. They are my world, my everything."

News Source: İHA