Four individuals have been taken into custody following a tragic fire at a ski resort in northwestern Turkey. The incident, which occurred at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya, has resulted in at least 76 fatalities and left 51 others injured.
The fire broke out around 3:30 a.m. local time in Bolu province’s Köroğlu Mountains. Among those arrested is the hotel owner, as confirmed by Turkish Minister of Justice Yılmaz Tunç.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene, with many guests trying to escape through windows. One hotel employee recounted a heartbreaking moment when a father asked for pillows to safely toss his baby out. Thankfully, emergency services arrived in time to rescue them.
Tragically, two women staying on the top floor, which housed students, jumped from the building and did not survive. Guests described how they could smell smoke and saw flames blocking their escape routes.
Eylem Senturk, a guest, shared that she managed to flee with her daughter, while her husband was initially trapped but successfully jumped from a window to a nearby safety roof.
At the time of the fire, the hotel was reportedly hosting over 230 guests. The U.S. Consulate in Istanbul has not confirmed if any American citizens were present during the incident but expressed condolences for the victims.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Bolu governor Abdulaziz Aydin suggested that it may have started in the restaurant area and spread rapidly. Firefighters faced challenges due to the hotel’s location and cold weather conditions, with nearly 270 emergency responders deployed to tackle the flames.
In response to this tragic event, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has declared a national day of mourning for Wednesday and pledged that those responsible for the fire will be held accountable. Minister Tunç emphasized that the investigation will be thorough and conducted with the utmost care.
