Turkey fire: Dozens killed as hotel engulfed by flames in ski resort of Bolu

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At least 76 people have been killed in a fire that engulfed a popular Turkish ski resort hotel, leaving some to jump out of windows.
The fire broke out at the wooden-clad 12-storey Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu at 03:27 local time (00:27 GMT) during a busy holiday period when 234 people were staying there.
Footage circulating in Turkey showed linen hanging from windows which was used by those trying to escape the burning building.
Ski instructor Necmi Kepcetutan told the BBC he was on the second floor of the hotel when the fire broke out and managed to get out via the ski room.
The hotel had two fire escapes, according to the interior minister, and one hotel worker said they had managed to rescue 30-35 people.

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A well-known Turkish ski resort hotel caught fire, killing at least 76 people, some of whom had to jump out of windows.

The fire broke out at the wooden-clad 12-storey Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu at 03:27 local time (00:27 GMT) during a busy holiday period when 234 people were staying there.

Turkey’s interior ministry greatly increased the initial death toll of 10 in the hours following the fire. After attempting to jump to safety, at least two people perished.

The fire took 12 hours to extinguish. According to the justice minister, nine people, including the owner, have been taken into custody.

As of right now, Vedia Nil Apak, a 10-year-old swimmer with the Fenerbahce Sports Club in Istanbul, and her mother Ferda are among the 76 whose identities have not yet been confirmed.

In a post on Instagram on Tuesday, the club expressed “deep sorrow” at the news.

Ceren Yaman Dogan, the daughter of a prominent local businessman, and her 17-year-old daughter Lalin also perished, as did Eslem Uyanik, a young chef at the hotel.

Ayse Neva, the wife of Sozcu newspaper writer Nedim Turkmen, and their two children, ages 18 and 22, were also mentioned, as was Prof. Atakan Yalcin, the dean of Ozyegin University Business School.

Among the victims was 24-year-old Dilara Ermanoglu, whose father had traveled to Bolu to search for her and was receiving treatment for a heart attack.

Kemal Memisoglu, the minister of health, reported that 17 of the 51 injured had been released, while one was in critical care.

Images of linen being hung from windows and used by people attempting to flee the burning building have been making the rounds in Turkey.

When the hotel caught fire, Necmi Kepcetutan, a ski instructor, told the BBC that he was on the second floor and was able to escape through the ski room. Then he assisted with relief work.

According to witnesses, the hotel’s owners were present when the fire broke out, and Mr. Kepcetutan claimed to have seen some of them outside.

Although the cause of the fire is still unknown, Bolu Governor Abdulaziz Aydin said preliminary reports indicated it started in the hotel’s restaurant area on the fourth floor and spread to the floors above.

According to Aydin, fire engines took over an hour to arrive because of the distance between the hotel in Kartalkaya and the heart of Bolu, as well as the frigid weather. 267 workers were dispatched to the scene by emergency services.

As the fire grew, the hotel was looking into whether there were any visitors—including kids—trapped in their rooms.

According to the interior minister, there were two fire escapes in the hotel, and one employee reported that they had successfully rescued thirty to thirty-five people.

According to Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc, prosecutors have been assigned to look into the fire.

The tourism minister stated that there had been no issues with the hotel’s fire safety before Tuesday’s tragedy, and the establishment had last been inspected in 2024.

But according to the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB), an automatic fire extinguisher system is required by law.

“The automatic sprinkler system, which was supposed to be installed in 2008, is not visible in the photos on the hotel’s website,” the union said in a statement.

The statement went on to say that although it was unclear whether other regulations had been followed, “it is understood that the detection and warning systems did not work and the escape routes could not be determined” based on interviews with survivors.

The Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said those responsible for negligence leading to the fire “will be held accountable”.

In an X statement, he added, “The Turkish flag will be flown at half-mast until sunset on Wednesday, and a day of national mourning has been declared.”.

At the beginning of the two-week school holidays, the hotel was fully booked, and the Bolu mountains are a popular destination for skiers from Istanbul and Ankara, the capital of Turkey, which is about 170 kilometers (105 miles) away.

Sir Peter Westmacott, a former British ambassador to Turkey, told the BBC that the fire “feels very personal” because he had previously visited the region.

“For those of us who care about Turkey, the fact that so many people have lost their lives is just devastating news,” he stated.

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