Packed Ski Resort Hotel Goes Up in Flames, Killing 66

Interior minister says it took 48 minutes for firefighters to arrive at Turkey's Grand Kartal hotel
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jan 21, 2025 8:59 AM CST
66 Dead in Fire at Packed Ski Resort Hotel
Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in a hotel at a ski resort of Kartalkaya in Bolu province, in northwest Turkey, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025.   (IHA via AP)

A fire at a 12-story hotel at a popular ski resort in northwestern Turkey on Tuesday killed at least 66 people, Turkey's Interior Minister said, per the AP. Ali Yerlikaya said at least 51 other people were injured in the disaster that struck the Grand Kartal hotel in the resort of Kartalkaya, in Bolu province's Koroglu mountains, some 185 miles east of Istanbul. The fire occurred during the schools' semester break, when hotels in the region are packed. "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 had been discharged after being treated.

The hotel had 238 registered guests, Yerlikaya said. The fire was reported at 3:27am and the fire department began to respond at 4:15am, he told reporters. The government appointed six prosecutors to lead an investigation into the blaze, which is believed to have started in the hotel's restaurant section. At least two of the victims died after jumping from the building in a panic, Gov. Abdulaziz Aydin told the state-run Anadolu Agency earlier. Private NTV television and other media reported that some people tried to climb down from their rooms using sheets and blankets. A ski instructor at the hotel told NTV television that the building was engulfed in smoke, making it difficult for guests to locate the fire escape.

Television images showed the roof and top floors of the hotel on fire. 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," Atakan Yelkovan, a guest staying on the third floor, told the IHA news agency. "People on the upper floors were screaming," he said. "Some tried to jump." Yelkovan said it took about an hour for the firefighting teams to arrive. Part of the 161-room hotel is on the side of a cliff, hampering efforts to combat the flames. In an address in Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said "all necessary steps will be taken to shed light on all aspects of the incident and to hold those responsible accountable." (More Turkey stories.)

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