A devastating fire at a 12-story hotel in a ski resort in northwestern Turkey killed at least 66 people and injured 51 others, Turkey’s Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Tuesday.
The fire broke out at the Grand Kartal hotel in Kartalkaya, a popular ski resort in Bolu province’s Koroglu Mountains, approximately 300 kilometers (185 miles) east of Istanbul. The tragedy occurred during the school semester break, a peak season when the region’s hotels are typically full.
“We are in deep pain. We have unfortunately lost 66 lives in the fire that broke out at this hotel,” Yerlikaya told reporters after visiting the scene.
Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu said one injured person remained in critical condition, while 17 others had been discharged after treatment.
The Grand Kartal hotel had 238 registered guests at the time of the fire. Officials said the blaze was reported at 3:27 a.m., but firefighters did not begin their response until 4:15 a.m. The fire is believed to have started in the hotel’s restaurant area.
Six prosecutors have been appointed to lead an investigation into the cause of the blaze.
Governor Abdulaziz Aydin reported that at least two people died after jumping from the building in panic. Some guests attempted to escape by climbing down sheets and blankets tied together.
Ski instructor Necmi Kepcetutan, who was at the hotel during the fire, said he managed to help about 20 guests escape after rushing out himself. “The smoke made it very difficult for people to find the fire escape,” he said.
Several witnesses claimed the hotel’s fire detection system failed to operate. Guest Atakan Yelkovan, who was staying on the third floor, said his wife smelled smoke, but no alarms sounded. “We tried to go upstairs but couldn’t because of the flames. We went downstairs and escaped,” he told IHA news agency.
Yelkovan also criticized the response time, noting it took nearly an hour for firefighting teams to arrive. “People on the upper floors were screaming. Some hung down sheets, others tried to jump,” he added.
NTV television suggested the wooden chalet-style cladding on the hotel’s exterior may have accelerated the spread of the fire. The hotel’s location on a cliff further complicated firefighting efforts, limiting access to the rear of the building.
Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said the hotel was inspected in 2021 and 2024, with no issues related to fire safety reported.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addressed the nation from Ankara, expressing his condolences. “Unfortunately, we received very sad news this morning from Bolu, Kartalkaya. Our brothers and sisters were killed and injured in a fire that broke out in a hotel,” he said.
Erdogan vowed that all necessary steps would be taken to investigate the incident and hold those responsible accountable.
Television footage showed extensive damage to the hotel, with a smoke-blackened lobby, shattered windows, and a collapsed chandelier. Nearby hotels at the resort were evacuated as a precaution, and displaced guests were relocated to other accommodations around Bolu.
In an unrelated incident, a gas explosion at the Yildiz Mountain Winter Sports Center in Sivas province injured four people.
AP
