2025 Kartalkaya hotel fire
 | This article documents a recent fire. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (January 2025) |
 Grand Kartal Hotel in 2007 | |
 | |
| Date | 21 January 2025 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 12 hours |
| Venue | Bolu Grand Kartal Hotel |
| Location | Kartalkaya, Bolu Province, Turkey |
| Coordinates | 40°35′24″N 31°48′26″E / 40.59000°N 31.80722°E |
| Type | Fire |
| Deaths | 76 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 51 |
On 21 January 2025, a fire broke out at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the ski resort of Kartalkaya in Bolu Province, Turkey. At least 76 people were killed, while 51 others were injured.[1][2][3]
Background
[edit]In Turkey, overall inspections of tourism investments and enterprises are carried out by inspectors assigned by the Ministry of Tourism. This includes inspection of supervisory measures to ensure life safety.[4]
Following an issue from the Official Gazette of the Republic of Turkey on 3 April 2012, fire safety inspection rights of fire brigades tied to that of municipalities were reduced, and the right to do safety inspections in matters that require interpretation, clarification, or are unclear was given to the Turkish Ministry of Environment.[5] At the time of the fire, Kartalkaya had an increased number of visitors due to the winter school holidays, with the hotel having an occupancy rate ranging from 80 to 90 percent.[6][7]
Fire
[edit]The fire began at around 3:27 a.m. TRT (UTC+03:00) at the 12-story Grand Kartal Hotel, which had 161 rooms and was hosting 238 guests at the time.[8] Initial reports said that the fire began at the restaurant section of the hotel's fourth floor, before spreading to the upper areas.[6][9]
According to witnesses, the hotel's fire detection system did not activate, no fire alarms went off, and panicked guests attempted to navigate smoke-filled corridors in complete darkness.[10] A survivor complained about the lack of any safety measures such as fire stairs or smoke detectors.[11] The engineers' and architects' union in Bolu attributed the "rapid" spread of the fire to a lack of automatic sprinklers, which were meant to be installed in 2018 but were not present at the time of the fire.[12] Some occupants resorted to using sheets and blankets to climb down from their rooms.[8] Three people jumped from the hotel in an effort to escape, with two of them dying.[6]
Around 267 emergency personnel,[6] 30 fire trucks, and 28 ambulances were deployed to the scene. The governor of Bolu Province, Abdulaziz Aydın, said that their arrival was delayed until 4:15 a.m.[8] due to the hotel's distance from Bolu and freezing weather conditions.[9] The hotel's position on the side of a cliff also affected firefighting efforts.[8] A field hospital was set up near the site.[13] A neighbouring hotel was also evacuated as a precaution. The fire was put out after 12 hours. According to the Turkish interior minister Ali Yerlikaya, the hotel had two fire escapes, and one hotel worker said that they had managed to rescue around 30–35 people.[9]
Casualties
[edit]At least 76 people were killed in the fire, including at least two who jumped out of the building "in a panic" while fifty one others were injured, with one in serious condition.[14] At least two hotel employees, including a chef, were confirmed dead. Many members of the same family were also among the dead, with one family alone losing more than ten members.[15] Among the victims were Sözcü writer and journalist Nedim Türkmen, his wife and two children, a 10-year old Fenerbahçe S.K. swimmer Vedia Nil Apak and her mother, and the dean of the faculty of business at Özyeğin University Atakan Yalçın.[16] All of the victims identified so far are Turkish citizens.[17] A majority of the deaths were likely caused by suffocation.[18]
The bodies of the dead were temporarily placed in a refrigerated trailer that resembled images of "roast chicken" on a truck owned by Turkish poultry company Beypiliç, due to lack of morgue capacity in local hospitals. This was met with mixed reactions, with some people criticizing the company for not bothering to cover the trailer with a tarpaulin.[19][20]
Investigation
[edit]A team of six prosecutors and five experts were ordered to investigate the fire.[13] Nine people, including the hotel's owner, were arrested for questioning as part of the investigation.[21] Initial reports said the fire likely broke out from the hotel's restaurant.[22]
Aftermath
[edit]Turkish Minister of Tourism Mehmet Ersoy stated that the fire department found "no negative situation regarding fire competence" at the hotel during inspections in 2021 and 2024.[8] Countering Ersoy's statements, the Mayor of Bolu, Tanju Özcan stated:
"The Minister is personally responsible for this incident. He dares to accuse our municipality in a despicable way. The hotel is not within Bolu municipality's borders of governance, the Ministry of Tourism is in charge there. We are forced to respond to the slanders of the incompetent Minister."
Özcan also stated that the municipality did not know whether there was a fire escape or a fire sprinkler system in the hotel due to the municipality's borders of governance. He added that the municipality does not have any permit to issue the licenses for the hotels built in the Kartalkaya region.[23][24]
Ebubekir Şahin, Chairman of the Turkish Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), announced the imposition of a broadcasting ban regarding the fire. In response, the Workers' Party of Turkey said its lawyers had filed an objection to the decision.[25]
Responses
[edit]Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared a day of national mourning for 22 January and ordered all flags at government buildings and Turkish embassies abroad lowered to half-staff.[8] A day of mourning was also announced in Northern Cyprus.[26]
Condolences were sent by the European Union,[27] Azerbaijan,[28] Pakistan,[29] Greece,[30] the United Arab Emirates,[31] Jordan,[32] Kuwait,[33] Ukraine,[33] Armenia,[34] Qatar,[35] Iran,[36] Serbia,[37] Germany, Russia,[38] Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Georgia, Ethiopia, Somalia,[39] Egypt,[40] Bahrain,[41] and Uzbekistan.[42]
See also
[edit]- Gayrettepe nightclub fire, 2024 fire in building in Turkey in which 29 people died.
References
[edit]- ^ "Kartalkaya'da otel yangını: 76 kişi hayatını kaybetti, dokuz kişi gözaltında" [Hotel fire in Kartalkaya: 76 people lost their lives, four people are detained] (in Turkish). BBC News. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ Mert, Ozkan; Huseyin, Hayatsever (21 January 2025). "Turkish ski resort fire kills 76, forces guests to jump from windows". Reuters. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Fire tears through Turkey ski resort hotel, killing at least 76 people and injuring dozens more". CBS News. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Turizm Yatırım, İşletme ve Kuruluşlarının Denetimi Hakkında Yönetmelik". teftis.ktb.gov.tr. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
- ^ "Müteahhitler istedi, itfaiyenin denetim yetkisi alındı!". Gazete Duvar (in Turkish). 21 January 2025. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Dozens killed as fire breaks out at ski resort hotel in northwestern Turkey". CNN. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Fire at Turkey ski resort hotel kills 10, injures 32". France 24. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Fraser, Suzan (21 January 2025). "At least 76 people killed in a hotel fire at a ski resort in Turkey". AP News. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ a b c "Scores killed as hotel engulfed by flames in Turkish ski resort". BBC News. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Turkey detains nine people over ski resort hotel fire that killed 76". Reuters. 22 January 2025. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
- ^ "Fire tears through Turkey ski resort hotel, killing at least 76 people and injuring dozens more," CBS News.
- ^ Kaska, Merve Kara (22 January 2025). "What led to hotel fire disaster at Turkish ski resort?". BBC News. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
- ^ a b "At least 77 killed as major fire engulfs ski resort hotel in Bolu". Hürriyet Daily News. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "At least 76 people killed in a hotel fire at a ski resort in Turkey". AP News. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
- ^ "Turkey mourns victims of fatal Bolu hotel fire as efforts to identify them continue". BBC. 22 January 2025. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
- ^ "Turkish athlete, professor, and journalist among 76 dead in Bolu hotel fire". Türkiye Today. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
- ^ Ahmed, Jabed (22 January 2025). "Turkey hotel fire latest: 10-year-old among 76 killed in ski resort blaze that saw guests jump from windows". The Independent. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
- ^ Winsor, Morgan; Bas, Engin. "At least 76 dead in Turkish ski resort hotel fire". ABC News. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Bolu'da morg kapasitesi dolunca hastane önüne konan tır tepki çekti, üzeri brandayla kapatıldı". Gazete Duvar (in Turkish). 21 January 2025. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
- ^ "Morg kapasitesi doldu, hastaneye soğuk hava depolu TIR getirildi". Evrensel.net (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 21 January 2025. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
- ^ "Turkiye arrests nine amid anger over deadly ski resort hotel fire". Al Jazeera. 22 January 2025. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
- ^ "Hotel fire at ski resort in Turkey kills at least 76 people – four people arrested". Sky News. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Tanju Özcan: Bakan, alçak bir şekilde belediyemizi suçluyor" [Tanju Özcan: The Minister is despicably accusing our municipality]. BirGün (in Turkish). 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Fire erupts at ski resort hotel in Turkey, kills at least 66". Gazete Duvar. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Kartalkaya'daki yangın için RTÜK'ten yayın yasağı" [Broadcast ban from RTÜK for the fire in Kartalkaya]. Agos (in Turkish). 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ Kahraman, Refiye (21 January 2025). "Bakanlar Kurulu'ndan bir günlük ulusal yas kararı" [Council of Ministers decides on one day of national mourning]. Giynik Gazetesi (in Turkish). Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Ski resort fire leaves dozens of people dead in northern Türkiye". www.anews.com.tr. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Azerbaijan MFA express condolences to Türkiye". Apa.az. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "PM expresses grief over deadly hotel fire in Turkiye". The Nation. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "PM expresses sorrow over deadly Turkey ski resort fire". eKathimerini.com. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "UAE expresses solidarity with Turkey following hotel fire". ARN News Centre. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Jordan expresses condolences to Turkey following deadly hotel fire". Jordan Times. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ a b "Countries extend condolences to Türkiye over Bolu ski resort fire". Daily Sabah. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Armenian Foreign Ministry expresses condolences to Turkey over Bolu fire". news.am. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Amir Sends Condolences To Turkish President". MENAFN. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Iran sympathizes with Turkiye over deadly hotel fire". IRNA English. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "President offers condolences to fire victims and people of Turkey: Our thoughts are with you". Telegraf.rs. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Huge fire guts Turkish ski resort hotel, killing at least 76". Le Monde. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Death toll from fire in northern Türkiye ski resort rises to 76". Anadolu Ajansi. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Egypt expresses condolences to Turkey following tragic Kartalkaya hotel fire". Al-Ahram. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Bahrain Extends Sympathy to Turkey Following Kartalkaya Hotel Fire Tragedy". DT News. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Shavkat Mirziyoyev expressed his condolences to Erdogan regarding the fire that occurred at a Turkish resort". Darakchi. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
