A fire broke out in a 12-storey hotel in a popular ski resort in northwestern Turkey early Tuesday during a school holiday, killing at least 66 people – two of them when they jumped from the building to escape the flames, officials said.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said that at least 51 people were injured in the fire that broke out at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya in the Koroglu Mountains of Bolu Province, about 300 kilometers east of Istanbul. The fire occurred near the beginning of the two-week winter school break, when hotels in the area were crowded.
“We are in deep pain. We unfortunately lost 66 people in the fire that broke out in this hotel,” Yerlikaya told reporters after inspecting the site.
Atakan Yelkovan, a hotel guest staying on the third floor, told IHA news agency there was chaos on the upper floors as other guests tried to escape the fire, including by trying to get out of their rooms using sheets and blankets.
“People on the upper floors were screaming. They hung up the sheets… Some tried to jump,” Yelkovan said.
Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu said that at least one of the injured was in serious condition, while 17 other people were treated and released.
Yerlikaya said the hotel had 238 registered guests. He told reporters that the fire was reported at 3:27 a.m. and the fire department began responding at 4:15 a.m.
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The government appointed six prosecutors to lead the investigation into the fire, which is believed to have started in the hotel’s restaurant section. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tonk said that four people, including the hotel owner, were detained for questioning as part of the investigation.
Provincial Governor Abdulaziz Aydin told the state-run Anadolu Agency earlier that at least two of the victims died when they jumped from the building in panic. Najmi Kipsitotan, the hotel’s ski instructor, said he was asleep when the fire broke out and he rushed out of the building. He then helped about 20 guests out of the hotel, he told NTV.
He added that smoke had engulfed the hotel, making it difficult for guests to locate the fire escape.
“I can’t reach some of my students. I hope they’re okay,” the ski instructor told the station.
Television images showed fire burning in the roof and upper floors of the hotel.
Witnesses and reports indicated that the hotel’s fire detection system failed to work.
“My wife smelled the fire. The alarm didn’t go off,” said Yelkovan, the guest interviewed by the International Housing Agency. “We tried to go upstairs but we couldn’t, there were flames. “We went downstairs and came here (outside).”
Yelkovan said it took about an hour for fire brigades to arrive.
NTV television suggested that the wooden cladding of the exterior of the hotel, with a chalet-style design, may have contributed to accelerating the spread of the fire. Part of the 161-room hotel is located on the side of a cliff, hampering firefighting efforts.
“Since the back side is on a slope, intervention can only be made from the front and sides,” Yerlikaya emphasized.
Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy told reporters that the hotel underwent inspections in 2021 and 2024 and “no negative situation regarding firefighting efficiency” was reported by the fire department.
“Unfortunately, we received very sad news this morning from Bolu, Kartalkaya,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech in Ankara. “Our brothers and sisters were killed and injured in a fire that broke out in a hotel.”
He added that all necessary steps will be taken to shed light on all aspects of the incident and hold those responsible accountable.
NTV television footage showed a lobby turned smoky, its glass entrance and windows smashed, the wooden reception desk charred, and a chandelier smashed to the floor.
Aydin’s office said 30 fire engines and 28 ambulances were sent to the site. Other hotels in the resort were evacuated as a precaution and guests were accommodated in hotels around Bolu.
Global News has reached out to Global Affairs Canada to find out if any Canadians were injured or killed in the fire.
Meanwhile, a gas explosion at a hotel in another ski resort in central Türkiye injured four people.
The explosion occurred at the Mount Yildiz Winter Sports Center in Sivas Province. The Sivas governor’s office said two skaters and their coach suffered minor injuries, while another coach suffered second-degree burns to the hands and face.
& Edition 2025 The Canadian Press
