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IN fire rushed through a 12-story hotel at a popular northwest ski resort Turkey early Tuesday during a school holiday, killed at least 66 people – two of them when they jumped from the building to escape the flames, officials said.
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 Istanbulsaid Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. The fire broke out near the start of a two-week winter break for schools, when hotels in the region are full.
“We are in deep pain. We have unfortunately lost 66 lives 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 the IHA news agency that there was chaos on the upper floors as other guests tried to escape the fire, including by trying to get out of their rooms to climb with sheets and blankets.
“People on the upper floors were crying. They were hanging down sheets… Some tried to jump,” said Yelkovan.
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 firefighters 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 restaurant section of the hotel. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said four people, including the hotel’s 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 earlier told the state-run Anadolu Agency. Necmi Kepcetutan, a ski instructor at the hotel, said he was sleeping when the fire broke out and he ran out of the building. He told NTV television that he then helped about 20 guests from the hotel.
The hotel was engulfed in smoke, making it difficult for guests to locate the fire escape, he said.
“I can’t reach some of my students. I hope they’re OK,” the ski instructor told the station.
Television footage showed the roof and upper floors of the hotel on fire.
Witnesses and reports suggested that the hotel’s fire detection system is not working.
“My wife smelled the fire. The alarm did not go off,” said Yelkovan, the guest interviewed by IHA. “We tried to go upstairs, 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 outside of the hotel, in a chalet-style design, may have accelerated the spread of the fire. Part of the 161-room hotel sits on the side of a cliff, hampering efforts to fight the flames.
“Because the back is on a slope, intervention could only be made from the front and sides,” confirmed Yerlikaya.
Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy told reporters that the hotel underwent inspections in 2021 and 2024 and that “no negative situation regarding fire competence” was reported by the fire department.
In an address 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 steps will be taken to shed light on all aspects of the incident and to hold those responsible,” he added.
NTV showed a smoke-black lobby, its glass entrance and windows smashed, its wooden reception desk charred and a chandelier crashed to the ground.
Aydin’s office said 30 fire engines and 28 ambulances were sent to the site. Other hotels at the resort were evacuated as a precaution and guests were placed in hotels around Bolu.
Global News has contacted Global Affairs Canada to see if any Canadians have been 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 in the Yildiz Mountain Winter Sports Center in the province of Sivas. Two skiers and their instructor were slightly injured, while another instructor received second-degree burns to his hands and face, the Sivas governor’s office said.
& copy 2025 The Canadian Press
