66 killed, over 50 injured in massive fire at Turkey’s ski resort hotel in Bolu
A devastating fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Turkey’s Bolu mountains early Tuesday morning claimed 66 lives and left 51 others injured. Guests, overwhelmed by smoke and flames, were forced to leap from windows or use makeshift ropes of bed sheets to escape.
The fire, which broke out around 3:30 a.m. (0030 GMT) on the restaurant floor of the 11-story hotel, spread rapidly, engulfing the structure and trapping many of the 238 registered guests. Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu confirmed the number of fatalities, while Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya expressed deep sorrow over the tragic loss of life.
Witnesses described scenes of chaos as guests scrambled to find safety. Ski instructor Necmi Kepcetutan, who helped 20 guests escape, shared how the smoke-filled hotel made navigating to fire escapes nearly impossible. “I cannot reach some of my students. I hope they are OK,” he said. Another guest, Atakan Yelkovan, revealed that the fire alarm system failed to activate. “My wife smelled the burning. The alarm did not go off,” he recalled.
At least two guests died after jumping from upper floors in panic. The hotel’s wooden exterior cladding is suspected to have contributed to the fire’s rapid spread, and the building’s cliffside location hindered firefighting efforts. Emergency crews struggled to reach the upper levels, focusing their intervention on the front and sides of the hotel.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan extended his condolences, promising a thorough investigation. Six prosecutors have been assigned to determine the cause of the blaze, with Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy stating the hotel had passed fire safety inspections in both 2021 and 2024.
As families mourn the loss of loved ones, survivors recount harrowing experiences of escaping the inferno. “People on the upper floors were screaming,” Yelkovan said. “Some hung down sheets… others tried to jump.”
This tragedy has left Turkey in mourning, with authorities vowing to hold those responsible accountable and take necessary steps to prevent such a disaster from happening again.
News Source : “Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.”
