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24 January 2025
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Turkish ski resort hotel fire kills at least 78
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A fire at a ski resort hotel in Turkey's Bolu mountains killed at least 78 people and injured 51 others on Tuesday, 21 January 2025, forcing panicked guests to jump out of windows in the middle of the night. The fire began around 03h30am local time on the restaurant floor of the 12-storey Grand Kartal Hotel.
Kartalkaya has no dedicated firefighting service.
Approximately 267 emergency personnel, 30 fire trucks and 28 ambulances were deployed to the scene from farther afield. Bolu Province governor Abdulaziz Aydın said they were delayed over an hour until 04h15am by freezing weather and the hotel's distance from Bolu municipality. The hotel's cliff-side position also affected firefighting efforts. A field hospital was constructed nearby. Other hotels at the resort were precautionary evacuated. According to Turkish interior minister Ali Yerlikaya, the hotel had two fire escapes. The fire was extinguished 12 hours later. Staff reported rescuing 30 to 35 people. Firefighters used ladders to rescue 50 people trapped in their rooms through windows in the hotel's front façade.
The fire started in the hotel's fourth floor kitchen/restaurant section. It occurred during the Turkish winter school break, when the hotel was 80 to 90% full. The scale of the fire and number of deaths were exacerbated by the absence of smoke detectors, automatic sprinklers, functioning fire alarms, functioning emergency exit lights and other fire safety measures. Rescue efforts were hampered by freezing weather and the hotel's remote location.
At least 78 people were killed in the fire, including at least two who jumped out of the building "in a panic", while 51 others were injured, with one in serious condition. A majority of the deaths were likely caused by suffocation. At least 36 of the fatalities were children, according to local media reports and in some cases members of the same family died, with one family losing more than ten members.
"It was like the apocalypse. The flames engulfed the hotel immediately, like in half an hour," said Mevlut Ozer, who witnessed the incident at the Kartalkaya ski resort in northwest Turkey.
Türkiye's interior minister Ali Yerlikaya said at least 52 of the victims had been identified so far with forensic experts working to determine the identities of the others. He said some 51 people were also injured.
"People on the upper floors were screaming. They threw bedsheets out of the windows, some tried to jump," Atakan Yelkovan, who escaped from the third floor with his wife, told media.
A very shaken hotel employee, who did not give his name, said he saw guests at their windows screaming for help. "I saw a father with his baby in his arms asking for pillows so he could throw down his son. Luckily he waited for the emergency services who saved them," he told media. "But on the top floor, two women threw themselves out of the window and died," he said, explaining that students were staying on the top floor.
Minister Yerlikaya said there were 238 guests at the hotel lying at the base of several ski slopes. It was still smouldering in the afternoon. "I would like to share this pain, which is impossible to describe," he said in offering condolences. "The fire has now been extinguished. Cooling efforts are ongoing. Since the back of the hotel is on a slope, fire extinguishing efforts could only be carried out from the front and side facades."
He added that fire crews began battling the fire about 45 minutes after the first call.
Arrests made
Turkish authorities have arrested 15 individuals as part of an investigation into a fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel. According to state media, those arrested include the hotel’s owner, manager and director, along with 12 others. Judicial proceedings continue for the deputy mayor of Bolu province and the head of the local fire department. Six others have been released under specific conditions.
Investigators cite fire safety failures
Reports indicate that the hotel lacked basic fire safety measures, including functioning alarms, clear fire exits and sprinkler systems. The Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects stated that sprinklers required by regulations in 2008 had not been installed at the Grand Kartal Hotel.
Independent experts have called for stricter enforcement of fire safety regulations to prevent similar incidents.
President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that Turkey’s judiciary is working to hold those responsible accountable.
The hotel’s management has pledged full cooperation with investigators.
International fire safety organisations, including the NFPA, have also offered support. NFPA President Jim Pauley said: “As Turkey and its people recover from this tragedy, NFPA stands ready to support them by sharing our expertise and resources to strengthen fire safety in their country and communities.”
Source: Associated Press, Reuters, Radio New Zealand, Euro News, NFPA
Kartalkaya has no dedicated firefighting service.
Approximately 267 emergency personnel, 30 fire trucks and 28 ambulances were deployed to the scene from farther afield. Bolu Province governor Abdulaziz Aydın said they were delayed over an hour until 04h15am by freezing weather and the hotel's distance from Bolu municipality. The hotel's cliff-side position also affected firefighting efforts. A field hospital was constructed nearby. Other hotels at the resort were precautionary evacuated. According to Turkish interior minister Ali Yerlikaya, the hotel had two fire escapes. The fire was extinguished 12 hours later. Staff reported rescuing 30 to 35 people. Firefighters used ladders to rescue 50 people trapped in their rooms through windows in the hotel's front façade.
The fire started in the hotel's fourth floor kitchen/restaurant section. It occurred during the Turkish winter school break, when the hotel was 80 to 90% full. The scale of the fire and number of deaths were exacerbated by the absence of smoke detectors, automatic sprinklers, functioning fire alarms, functioning emergency exit lights and other fire safety measures. Rescue efforts were hampered by freezing weather and the hotel's remote location.
At least 78 people were killed in the fire, including at least two who jumped out of the building "in a panic", while 51 others were injured, with one in serious condition. A majority of the deaths were likely caused by suffocation. At least 36 of the fatalities were children, according to local media reports and in some cases members of the same family died, with one family losing more than ten members.
"It was like the apocalypse. The flames engulfed the hotel immediately, like in half an hour," said Mevlut Ozer, who witnessed the incident at the Kartalkaya ski resort in northwest Turkey.
Türkiye's interior minister Ali Yerlikaya said at least 52 of the victims had been identified so far with forensic experts working to determine the identities of the others. He said some 51 people were also injured.
"People on the upper floors were screaming. They threw bedsheets out of the windows, some tried to jump," Atakan Yelkovan, who escaped from the third floor with his wife, told media.
A very shaken hotel employee, who did not give his name, said he saw guests at their windows screaming for help. "I saw a father with his baby in his arms asking for pillows so he could throw down his son. Luckily he waited for the emergency services who saved them," he told media. "But on the top floor, two women threw themselves out of the window and died," he said, explaining that students were staying on the top floor.
Minister Yerlikaya said there were 238 guests at the hotel lying at the base of several ski slopes. It was still smouldering in the afternoon. "I would like to share this pain, which is impossible to describe," he said in offering condolences. "The fire has now been extinguished. Cooling efforts are ongoing. Since the back of the hotel is on a slope, fire extinguishing efforts could only be carried out from the front and side facades."
He added that fire crews began battling the fire about 45 minutes after the first call.
Arrests made
Turkish authorities have arrested 15 individuals as part of an investigation into a fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel. According to state media, those arrested include the hotel’s owner, manager and director, along with 12 others. Judicial proceedings continue for the deputy mayor of Bolu province and the head of the local fire department. Six others have been released under specific conditions.
Investigators cite fire safety failures
Reports indicate that the hotel lacked basic fire safety measures, including functioning alarms, clear fire exits and sprinkler systems. The Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects stated that sprinklers required by regulations in 2008 had not been installed at the Grand Kartal Hotel.
Independent experts have called for stricter enforcement of fire safety regulations to prevent similar incidents.
President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that Turkey’s judiciary is working to hold those responsible accountable.
The hotel’s management has pledged full cooperation with investigators.
International fire safety organisations, including the NFPA, have also offered support. NFPA President Jim Pauley said: “As Turkey and its people recover from this tragedy, NFPA stands ready to support them by sharing our expertise and resources to strengthen fire safety in their country and communities.”
Source: Associated Press, Reuters, Radio New Zealand, Euro News, NFPA
