Bolu Province, Turkey, A huge fire broke out at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya, a famous ski spot in Turkey’s Bolu Province. The fire caused at least 76 deaths and 51 people were injured.
Turkey Incident Overview
The fire started around 3:30 a.m. in the hotel’s restaurant, which is on the fourth floor of the 12-story building. At that time, there were 238 guests staying at the hotel, including many families enjoying the school break.
Witnesses said the fire alarm didn’t go off, so people didn’t know about the danger. To escape, some guests jumped out of windows or used bed sheets tied together to climb down from their rooms.
Emergency Response
The hotel was in a faraway place, and because of very bad winter weather, it took a long time for emergency help to arrive. Around 30 fire trucks and 28 ambulances were sent to the area. Firefighters fought the huge fire for more than 10 hours before they could stop it. A temporary hospital was set up close by to quickly treat the people who were hurt.
Casualties and Injuries
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said that 76 people died in the disaster. Two of them died because they fell while trying to escape. Out of the 51 people who were hurt, some had very serious injuries and needed special medical treatment. Most of the people who died are thought to have been killed by breathing in too much smoke.
Investigation and Arrests
After the disaster, officials have arrested nine people, including the hotel owner, as they continue to investigate possible carelessness and safety rule violations. A group of six prosecutors and five experts has been formed to find out what caused the fire and to check if the hotel followed safety rules.
Government Response
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has announced that January 22 will be a national day of mourning to remember the victims. He stressed that the people behind this tragedy will face consequences and promised to improve safety measures to stop such events from happening again.
Survivor Accounts
People who survived told scary stories about getting out of the burning building. Atakan Yelkovan, who was staying on the third floor, talked about the confusion as people tried to escape without working fire alarms. Many had to use bed sheets and blankets to climb down from windows, while others walked through hallways full of smoke, trying to find a way out.
Safety Concerns
Initial checks have shown possible problems with the hotel’s fire safety. For example, the fire alarm system wasn’t working properly, and materials that can catch fire easily were used in the building. Because of these issues, officials are now checking safety rules in other similar places across the country.
The sad event at the Grand Kartal Hotel shows how important it is to have strict safety rules in places where people stay. As the country grieves for the 76 people who died, officials are being asked to carefully look into what happened and make changes to prevent such tragedies in the future.
BY – NIKITA
