A fire ripped through a 12-story hotel at a popular ski resort in northwest 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, police said. authorities.
At least 51 people were injured in the fire at the Grand Kartal hotel in Kartalkaya, in the Koroglu Mountains of Bolu province, about 300 kilometers (185 miles) east of Istanbul, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. The fire occurred near the start of a two-week winter break for schools, when hotels in the region are full.
“We are suffering deep pain. Unfortunately, we have lost 66 lives in the fire that broke out in this hotel,” Yerlikaya told reporters after inspecting the place.
Atakan Yelkovan, a hotel guest staying on the third floor, told the IHA news agency that there was chaos on the upper floors as other guests tried to escape the fire, even trying to get down from their rooms using sheets and blankets.
“People on the upper floors were screaming. They hung sheets… Some tried to jump,” Yelkovan said.
Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu said at least one of the injured was in serious condition, while 17 other people were treated and released.
The hotel had 238 registered guests, Yerlikaya said. The fire was reported at 3:27 a.m. and the fire department began responding at 4:15 a.m., he told reporters.
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The government appointed six prosecutors to lead an investigation into the fire, which is believed to have started in the hotel's restaurant section. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said four people, including the hotel owner, were detained for questioning as part of the investigation.
At least two of the victims died when they jumped from the building in panic, Governor Abdulaziz Aydin previously told state-run Anadolu Agency. Necmi Kepcetutan, a ski instructor at the hotel, said he was asleep when the fire started and ran out of the building. He told NTV television that he then helped about 20 guests leave the hotel.
The hotel was engulfed in smoke, making it difficult for guests to locate the fire escape, he said.
“I can't communicate with some of my students. I hope you are okay,” the ski instructor told the station.
Television images showed the roof and upper floors of the hotel in flames.
Witnesses and reports suggested that the hotel's fire detection system did not work.
“My wife smelled the fire. The alarm did not sound,” said Yelkován, the guest interviewed by IHA. “We tried to go up the stairs but we couldn't, there were flames. “We went down and came here (outside),” he said.
Yelkovan said it took about an hour for fire crews to arrive.
NTV television suggested that the wooden cladding on the exterior of the chalet-style hotel could have accelerated the spread of the fire. Part of the 161-room hotel is next to a cliff, making efforts to combat the flames difficult.
“Because the rear part is inclined, the intervention could only be carried out from the front and the sides,” confirmed Yerlikaya.
Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy told reporters that the hotel underwent inspections in 2021 and 2024 and that firefighters did not report “any negative situation regarding fire competence.”
In a speech in Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: “Unfortunately, this morning we received very sad news from Bolu, Kartalkaya. “Our brothers and sisters were killed and injured in a fire that broke out in a hotel.”
“All necessary measures will be taken to shed light on all aspects of the incident and hold those responsible accountable,” he added.
NTV showed a lobby blackened by smoke, with the glass entrance and windows broken, the wooden reception desk charred and a chandelier fallen to the floor.
Aydin's office said 30 fire trucks and 28 ambulances were sent to the scene. Other hotels in the resort were evacuated as a precaution and guests were accommodated in hotels around Bolu.
Global News has contacted Global Affairs Canada to see if any Canadians were injured or killed in the fire.
Meanwhile, a gas explosion at a hotel in another ski resort in central Turkey injured four people.
The explosion took place at the Yildiz Mountain winter sports center in Sivas province. Two skiers and their instructor were slightly injured, while another instructor received second-degree burns on his hands and face, the Sivas governor's office said.
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