By Suzan Fraser
Ankara: A fire has killed at least 76 people after engulfing a 12-storey hotel at a popular ski resort in north-western Turkey during a school holiday.
At least two of the fatalities came after guests jumped from the building to escape the flames, officials said.
Firefighters work to extinguish the fire in a hotel at a ski resort of Kartalkaya in Bolu province, in north-west Turkey.Credit: AP
More than 51 people were injured in the fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya, in Bolu province’s Koroglu mountains, some 300 kilometres east of Istanbul, said Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. The fire occurred near the start of a two-week winter school break, when hotels in the region are packed.
Yerlikaya said 45 of the dead have been identified while efforts to identify the other victims were continuing. The minister said nine people had been detained as part of an investigation into the disaster. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said detained people included the hotel’s owner.
“We are in deep pain,” Yerlikaya told reporters after inspecting the site.
Atakan Yelkovan, a hotel guest staying on the third floor, told the IHA news agency there was chaos on the upper floors as other guests tried to escape the fire, including by trying to climb down from their rooms using sheets and blankets.
“People on the upper floors were screaming. They hung down sheets ... Some tried to jump,” Yelkovan said.
Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu said at least one of the injured people was in serious condition, while 17 others were treated and released.
The hotel had 238 registered guests, Yerlikaya said. The fire was reported at 3.27am and the fire department began to respond at 4.15am, he told reporters.
The government appointed six prosecutors to lead an investigation into the blaze, which is believed to have started in the hotel’s restaurant section.
At least two of the victims died when they jumped from the building in panic, Governor Abdulaziz Aydin told the state-run Anadolu Agency earlier. Those killed included Nedim Turkmen, a columnist for the newspaper Sozcu, his wife and two children, the newspaper announced.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a day of national mourning on Wednesday. Flags at government and overseas diplomatic buildings would be lowered to half-mast, he said.
Necmi Kepcetutan, a ski instructor at the hotel, said he was asleep when the fire erupted. He told NTV television that he helped some 20 guests out of the hotel.
The hotel was engulfed in smoke, making it difficult for guests to locate the fire escape, he said.
Fire engulfed the 12-storey hotel in the early hours of the morning at the start of a winter holiday period.Credit: AP
“I cannot reach some of my students. I hope they are OK,” he said.
Television images showed the roof and top floors of the hotel on fire.
Witnesses and reports suggested the hotel’s fire detection system failed.
“My wife smelt the burning. The alarm did not go off,” said Yelkovan, the guest interviewed by IHA. “We tried to go upstairs but couldn’t, there were flames. We went downstairs and came here [outside],” he said.
Firefighters work at the scene of the hotel.Credit: AP
Yelkovan said it took about an hour for the firefighting teams to arrive.
NTV television suggested he wooden cladding on the hotel exterior, in a chalet-style design, may have accelerated the spread of the fire.
Part of the 161-room hotel is on the side of a cliff, hampering efforts to combat the flames.
“Because the rear side is on a slope, intervention could only be made from the front and sides,” Yerlikaya confirmed.
Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy told reporters the hotel underwent inspections in 2021 and 2024 and that “no negative situation regarding fire competence” was reported by the Fire Department.
Earlier, in an address in Ankara, Erdogan said: “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.
“All necessary steps will be taken to shed light on all aspects of the incident and to hold those responsible accountable.”
NTV showed a smoke-blackened lobby, its glass entrance and windows smashed, its wooden reception desk charred and a chandelier crashed.
Aydin’s office said 30 fire trucks and 28 ambulances were sent to the site.
Other hotels at the ski resort were evacuated as a precaution and guests were placed in other hotels.
AP
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