Turkish ski resort hotel fire kills at least 76, injures 51 during school holiday
BREAKING: Ski resort fire kills 10
A fire at a hotel at a ski resort in northwestern Turkey on Tuesday killed at least at least 10 people and hospitalized 32 others, officials said. The fire broke out at around 3:30 a.m. in the restaurant of the 12-story Grand Kartal hotel in the resort of Kartalkaya in Bolu province, officials and reports said. The cause of the fire was under investigation. Two of the victims died after jumping from the building in a panic.
ANKARA, Turkey - At least 76 people were killed after a fire raged through a 12-story hotel at a popular ski resort in northwestern Turkey early Tuesday during a school holiday.
At least two people fell to their deaths when they jumped from the building to escape the flames, officials said.
At least 51 people also were injured in the fire at the Grand Kartal hotel in Kartalkaya, in Bolu province’s Koroglu mountains, some 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 packed.
NTV television suggested that the wooden cladding on the exterior of the hotel, in a chalet-style design, may have accelerated the spread of the fire.
NTV showed a smoke-blackened lobby, its glass entrance and windows smashed, its wooden reception desk charred and a chandelier crashed to the ground.
What they're saying:
"We are in deep pain. We have unfortunately lost 66 lives in the fire that broke out at this hotel," Yerlikaya told reporters after inspecting the site.
Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu said at least one of the injured was in serious condition, while 17 other people were treated and released.
In an address in Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: "Unfortunately, we received very sad news this morning from Bolu, Kartalkaya. Our brothers and sisters were killed and injured in a fire that broke out in a hotel."
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A view of the area as fire brigades responding to a fire that broke out in a hotel in Bolu Kartalkaya Ski Center, on January 21, 2025 in Bolu, Turkiye. (Photo by Ibrahim Yozoglu/Anadolu via Getty Images)
"All necessary steps will be taken to shed light on all aspects of the incident and to hold those responsible accountable," he added.
Local perspective:
Atakan Yelkovan, a hotel guest staying on the third floor, told the IHA news agency there was chaos on the upper floors as other guests tried to escape the fire, including by trying to climb down from their rooms using sheets and blankets.
"People on the upper floors were screaming. They hung down sheets ... Some tried to jump," Yelkovan said.
Necmi Kepcetutan, a ski instructor at the hotel, said he was asleep when the fire erupted and he rushed out of the building. He told NTV television that he then helped some 20 guests out of the hotel.
The hotel was engulfed in smoke, making it difficult for guests to locate the fire escape, he said.
"I cannot reach some of my students. I hope they are OK," the ski instructor told the station.
Witnesses and reports suggested that the hotel’s fire detection system failed to operate.
"My wife smelled the burning. The alarm did not go off," said Yelkovan, the guest interviewed by IHA. "We tried to go upstairs but couldn’t, there were flames. We went downstairs and came here (outside)," he said.
What's next:
The government appointed six prosecutors to lead an investigation into the blaze, which is believed to have started in the hotel's restaurant section. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said four people, including the hotel’s owner, were detained for questioning as part of the investigation.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story also came from multiple sources, including official statements by Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who provided updates on the casualties and the government's response. This story was reported from Los Angeles.