Defne Samyeli rebels, declaring 'This is a formal notice': 'There is no one to talk to!'

Defne Samyeli has shared with the public the life safety issues she has recently been experiencing in the high-rise residence in Istanbul where she lives with her daughters, Deren and Derin Talu. The famous figure expressed her reaction toward the residence management via social media.

Samyeli stated that the fire alarm has never worked in the residence where she has lived for five years and that this situation poses a serious risk. Making striking statements on the social media platform X, Samyeli pointed out that this issue concerns not only her and her family but hundreds of people living in the building.

"THE FIRE ALARM IN THIS BUILDING DOES NOT WORK"

Defne Samyeli described her experiences with the following words:

"This is a formal notice. I have been thinking for weeks whether to write this or not, so as not to take time away from this heavy agenda, but the first anniversary of the Kartalkaya fire has already come and gone. You are familiar with that subject. Our general attitude as a nation is to be devastated and sad after the fact, rather than following up on precautions to prevent such tragic events."

"The issue I am reporting concerns me, my family, and hundreds of other people in the building where I live. I live in this residence building as a tenant. It has been my fifth year; the fire alarm in this building has not worked since I arrived. It was two years ago. A fire broke out on our floor. If my daughter Derin had not answered the wall-mounted communication phone from the reception at 4:00 AM, we wouldn't even have known. A security guard who pounded on our door (who later ended up in the hospital due to smoke inhalation) told us to evacuate the building immediately, or we would suffocate from the smoke. The living room was filled with smoke; you couldn't see a thing. Furthermore, there are no windows that open in the apartments in this building. There are only small ventilation windows known as 'transoms.' They aren't even enough to provide oxygen under normal circumstances. In our pajamas, we hurriedly put our cat in a box and joined those heading down the fire escape."

According to Samyeli, the failure of the alarm during the fire two years ago caused a major danger, and they were only aware of the incident thanks to the efforts of the security guard and her daughter's alertness. Mentioning deficiencies such as the lack of opening windows and inadequate ventilation in the building, Samyeli stated that she believes their life safety is being put at risk.

"THERE IS NO ONE TO TALK TO"

Samyeli included the following statements in the continuation of her post:

"Let me give you the short version; under normal conditions, that is, in a world where the alarm works, if people were aware and flocked to those stairs, there would be a stampede anyway. That is one thing. The second and more serious issue is that people are not even aware that a fire has broken out. The reason I am writing this now is this... Shortly before the New Year, they informed us in writing that they would conduct a fire drill. I was actually happy. There was a handyman working at home that day (by the way, there is a repair every day due to bursting pipes); we said, since the drill is at 15:00, let everyone be prepared at home. It became 15:30, no alarm, no sound, no word. I called the reception. I asked, 'What happened to our drill?' They said in a nervous voice, 'Ms. Defne, it is being done right now.' I said, 'What is being done?' The elevators had been stopped. I asked, 'Is anyone coming down from their apartment?' 'No.' I continued, 'Well, what about the alarm?'... The answer: 'It doesn't work.'

A month has passed. What was missing in this month, and at what speed is it being compensated? I am waiting for an explanation, not just as myself, but as someone who cares about the life safety of everyone living here. There is no one to talk to. The accounting clerk who describes himself as the 'building manager' told me in a rude tone on the phone, 'A detailed email will be sent to all of you on this subject.' Such an information text has not arrived to this day. Only one email has arrived regarding the subject. That was on the day of the drill. It said, 'Fire evacuation drill successfully completed'...

Do you laugh or cry? 1,000 people live in this building. There are small children, families, and animals. That night, I called the acquaintances whose phone numbers I knew, one by one, from the reception we were waiting at. Then, with the superior efforts of a few staff members and the arrival of the fire department, the fire was extinguished. I persistently followed up on why the alarm did not work that night and in the months that followed. As far as I learned from the technical service staff paid by the building, they were advised by the management not to give information to the residents about this issue, and even not to engage with us much. Speaking of building management, this building doesn't even have a manager. Because whoever comes as a manager lasts at most a month. Even though I bring this issue up whenever I talk to my other neighbors about building problems, there is a general indifference regarding the fact that the fire alarm does not work, let alone the general problems of the building. I cannot believe this, and I want to emphasize it. It is a classic picture of my country, but the subject is life safety. If we don't take this seriously now, when will we?"

News Source: 12punto