At least 66 killed in ski hotel fire in Turkey – The National
At least 66 people were killed in a blaze at a 12-story hotel in a popular ski resort in northwest Turkey early Tuesday during a school holiday, officials said, including two who jumped from the building to escape the blaze.
At least 51 people were injured in a fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya in the Koroglu Mountains of Bolu province, 300 kilometers east of Istanbul, Interior Minister Ali Yirlikaya said. The fire occurred just before the start of the two-week winter vacation, when hotels in the region were packed.
“We are in great pain. “Unfortunately, 66 people lost their lives in the fire that broke out at this hotel,” Yerkaya said in a statement to reporters after visiting the site.
Atakan Yelkovan, a hotel guest on the third floor, told the IHA news agency that there was chaos as other guests tried to escape the fire using sheets and blankets to get down from their rooms.
“People on the top floor are screaming. They hung sheets… some tried to jump,” Ylkovan said.
Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu said at least one of the injured was in critical condition, while 17 others were treated and released.
The hotel had 238 registered guests, Yerkaya said. The fire was reported at 3:27 a.m. and the fire department began responding at 4:15 a.m., he told reporters.
Get breaking national news
Sign up for breaking news alerts that will be delivered directly to you as news hits Canada and around the world.
The government has appointed six prosecutors to lead the investigation into the fire in the hotel’s restaurant. According to the Minister of Justice, Yilmaz Tunk, four people, including the owner of the hotel, have been detained for investigation as part of the investigation.
Governor Abdulaziz Aydin earlier told the state-run Anadolu Agency that at least two of the dead died when they jumped from the building in panic. Nekmi Kepsetutan, a ski instructor at the hotel, said he was sleeping when the fire broke out and rushed out of the building. He then told NTV television that he helped about 20 guests leave the hotel.
The hotel was engulfed in smoke, he said, adding that the damage to the fire made it difficult for guests.
“I can’t reach some of my students. I hope they are safe,” the ski instructor told the station.
Television footage showed the roof and top floor of the hotel engulfed in flames.
According to eyewitnesses and reports, the hotel’s fire protection system failed to operate.
“My wife smelled burning. The alarm didn’t go off,” said Yelkova, a guest contacted by IAA. “We tried to go up but we couldn’t, it was in flames. We went down and came (out) here,” he said.
Yelkova said it took about an hour for firefighting teams to arrive.
NTV television said that the wooden cladding on the exterior of the hotel, in a chalet-style design, accelerates the spread of the fire. The 161-room hotel is on the edge of a cliff, hampering efforts to fight the blaze.
“Since the rear side is on a slope, it is only possible to intervene from the front and the side,” Yirlikaya confirmed.
Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy told reporters that the hotel was inspected in 2021 and 2024 and “no negative situation regarding fire” was reported by the fire department.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his speech in Ankara: “Unfortunately, we received very sad news this morning from Bolu Kartalkaya. “Our brothers and sisters lost their lives in a fire in a hotel.”
“All necessary steps will be taken to shed light on all aspects of the incident and hold those responsible accountable,” he added.
NTV A smoke-blackened lobby, the glass entrance and windows shattered, the wooden reception desk on fire and the chandelier knocked to the floor.
AID’s office announced that 30 fire trucks and 28 ambulances were dispatched to the scene. Other hotels in the resort were evacuated as a precaution and guests were accommodated at hotels around the ball.
Global News has reached out to Global Affairs Canada to see if any Canadians have been injured or killed in the fire.
Meanwhile, four people were injured in a gas explosion at a hotel in another ski resort in central Turkey.
The explosion took place at the Yildiz Mountain Winter Sports Center in Sivas province. Two skiers and their instructor suffered minor injuries, while another instructor suffered second-degree burns to his hands and face, the Sivas governor’s office said.
& Copy 2025 Canadian Press
