Firefighters are working to extinguish a fire at a hotel in the ski resort of Kartalkaya in northwestern Turkey’s Bolu province on Tuesday. IHA/AP Hide caption
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IHA/AP
ANKARA, Turkey — A fire broke out early Tuesday during the school holidays at a 12-story hotel in a popular ski area in northwestern Turkey, killing at least 66 people, including at least two who jumped from the building to escape the flames. Ta. officials said.
At least 51 people were also injured in the Grand Kartar Hotel fire in Kartalkaya, in the Koroglu Mountains in Bor province, about 300 kilometers (185 miles) east of Istanbul, Interior Minister Ali Yelikaya said. The fire occurred near the start of the school’s two-week winter break, and hotels in the area were full.
“We feel deep pain. Unfortunately, 66 people lost their lives in the fire that broke out at this hotel,” Yelikaya told reporters after visiting the site.
Atakan Yerkovan, a hotel guest staying on the third floor, told the IHA news agency that other guests tried to escape the fire by using sheets and blankets to get out of their rooms, causing chaos on the upper floors. He said he woke up.
“People on the upper floors were screaming. Some had sheets hanging down and were trying to jump,” Yerkovan said.
Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu said at least one of the injured was in critical condition, while 17 others were treated and released.
There were 238 registered guests at the hotel, Yelikaya said. He told reporters that the fire was reported at 3:27 a.m. and the fire department began responding at 4:15 a.m.
The government has appointed six prosecutors to lead the investigation into the fire, which appears to have broken out in the hotel’s restaurant department. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunku said four people, including the hotel owner, were detained for questioning as part of the investigation.
Governor Abdulaziz Aydin earlier told the state-run Anadolu Agency that at least two of the victims died after panicking and jumping from the building. The newspaper said those killed included Sozuk columnist Nedim Turkmen, his wife and two children.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Wednesday a national day of mourning. He said all flags at government buildings and Turkish diplomatic missions abroad would be lowered to half-mast.
Nekmi Kepsetutan, a ski instructor at the hotel, said he was asleep when the fire broke out and rushed out of the building. About 20 guests were then rescued from the hotel, he told NTV television.
The hotel was engulfed in smoke, making it difficult for guests to find the fire escape.
A ski instructor told the station: “We are unable to contact some students. We hope they are okay.”
Television footage showed the roof and top floor of the hotel on fire.
According to witnesses and reports, the hotel’s fire detection system appeared to have failed.
In an interview with IHA, guest Yerkovan said, “My wife smelled a burning smell.The alarm didn’t go off.” “We tried to go upstairs, but we couldn’t. There was flames. We went downstairs and came here (outside),” he said.
Mr Yerkovan said it took about an hour for the fire team to arrive.
NTV television suggested that the hotel’s chalet-style design and wooden exterior walls may have accelerated the fire’s spread.
Parts of the 161-room hotel sit on the side of a cliff, impeding firefighting efforts.
“Due to the rear side being on the slope, intervention was only possible from the front and sides,” Yelikaya admitted.
Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy told reporters that the hotel was inspected in 2021 and 2024, and the fire department reported that “there were no negative situations regarding fire fighting capacity.”
Earlier, President Erdoğan said in a speech in Ankara: “Unfortunately, this morning we received very sad news from Bor in Kartalkaya. Our brothers and sisters were killed or injured in a fire that broke out in a hotel.”
“We will take all necessary steps to clarify all aspects of the incident and hold those responsible accountable,” he added.
NTV showed a lobby blackened by smoke, the glass entrance and windows smashed, a wooden reception desk scorched and a chandelier falling to the ground.
Aydin’s office said 30 fire engines and 28 ambulances were called to the scene.
Other hotels in the resort were also evacuated as a precaution, and guests were evacuated to hotels around Bol.
Meanwhile, a gas explosion also occurred at a hotel at another ski resort in central Turkey, injuring four people.
The explosion occurred at the Yildiz Mountain Winter Sports Center in Sivas region. Two skiers and their instructor suffered minor injuries, and another instructor suffered second-degree burns to his hands and face, the Sivas governor’s office said.
