79 Dead in Ski Resort Inferno

A devastating fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya, a much-frequented ski resort in Turkey’s Bolu province, claimed the lives of 79 individuals and resulted in 51 injuries on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, according to official reports.

Ali Yerlikaya, the Interior Minister, expressed profound sorrow over the loss of 79 lives in the hotel fire during a media briefing following his visit to the site. He informed reporters about the tragic incident at the hotel.

The fatal fire began in the hotel’s restaurant, located on the fourth level of the twelve-floor establishment, at 3:27 a.m. At the time, the hotel was accommodating 238 guests during a school semester break. Emergency services arrived at the scene by 4:15 a.m., their response time hampered by the hotel’s precarious cliff-side location and the frigid weather conditions.

Atakan Yelkovan, a hotel guest lodged on the third floor, revealed to a local news outlet that his wife detected the smell of burning before the alarm system was activated. “We tried to go upstairs but couldn’t; there were flames. We went downstairs and came here,” Yelkovan recounted.

Abdulaziz Aydin, the Governor, verified that two of the victims lost their lives after jumping from the building in a state of panic. Other guests attempted to descend from their rooms using bedsheets and blankets as makeshift ropes, but some of these improvised ropes tore, leading to fatal falls. Yelkovan remembered the terrifying scene with guests from the upper floors screaming and trying to escape.

Firefighters encountered substantial difficulties in reaching the hotel’s rear due to its cliff-side placement in the Koroglu mountains. The building’s location and design added to the complexity of the rescue operations, as fire trucks couldn’t effectively access all sides of the hotel. Television broadcasts showed firefighters battling to douse the flames that had consumed multiple floors, while dense smoke filled the air from the upper levels.

NTV television reported that the exterior wooden cladding of the hotel, designed in the style of a conventional chalet, may have accelerated the spread of the fire. The hotel’s fire detection system failed, leaving many guests unaware of the imminent threat until they noticed the flames or smelled the smoke.

Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu announced that one injured person is in grave condition. Seventeen injured persons have been discharged from hospitals, while others are still receiving medical treatment in various facilities across Bolu.

Necmi Kepcetutan, a ski instructor, managed to help evacuate 20 guests after the fire woke him up. Speaking to NTV television, he said, “I cannot reach some of my students. I hope they are OK.” He described how the dense smoke made it challenging for guests to find fire escapes.

Six prosecutors have been assigned to investigate the tragic event. Authorities have detained nine individuals, including the hotel’s owner, in connection with the fire. The Justice Minister confirmed the deployment of multiple prosecutors to determine the cause of the fire.

The Kartalkaya resort, situated 185 miles east of Istanbul in the Koroglu mountains, is a popular destination during winter. The resort was operating at a high occupancy rate due to the school semester break when the fire broke out.

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