A fire tragedy at the Grand Kartal Hotel located at Bolu Kartalkaya Kayak Merkezi has claimed the lives of ten guests and injured 32 others. The incident unfolded early Monday morning around 3:30 AM, leaving many families devastated.
Survivors have shared harrowing accounts of their escape from the inferno. One such survivor, Eylem Şentürk, recounted the night of chaos. “We woke up to a loud noise, thinking it was snow falling from the roof, but the sound intensified,” she explained. Rushing to find safety, Şentürk described how thick smoke filled the corridors, making it nearly impossible to see.
The fire erupted from sparks igniting at the hotel restaurant, quickly spiraling out of control. The hotel’s structure, primarily made of wood, aided the rapid spread of flames from the lower levels to the upper floors. Notably, the absence of working fire detectors and sprinklers meant alarm systems failed to activate, trapping many guests inside their rooms.
Witnesses share how hotel staff struggled to alert guests, banging on doors to warn them of the fire. Yet, when it came time to escape, the confusion intensified. A faulty emergency exit, claimed to exist, was revealed to be unreachable, leaving visitors without viable exit routes.
According to reports, the hotel owners, Halit Ergül and Emine Murtezaoğlu Ergül, are under scrutiny for their negligence. Investigations reveal they had cut costs on safety measures to funnel money toward constructing a tunnel between their hotel and the nearby Morino restaurant, which could have jeopardized patron safety for profit. “If the Ergüls had spent on necessary safety measures, maybe not even one person would have been injured,” one report concluded, glaringly highlighting the failures to prevent such occurrences.
The loss of life has hit families particularly hard, with numerous children among the dead. The tragedy has raised serious concerns about fire safety standards and regulations, and many are questioning how such negligence could have been overlooked.
The incident has sparked outrage, prompting demands for accountability and heightened scrutiny of fire safety laws across the hospitality industry. Other hotels are now facing calls for comprehensive safety audits to safeguard against similar incidents.
Local authorities and fire safety experts have stated there is an urgent need to reassess safety protocols. Advocates for change are emphasizing not just the importance of operational alarms and sprinklers, but also the necessity for clear escape plans displayed prominently throughout hotels.
Survivors like Eylem Şentürk hope their stories will not be forgotten amid the investigation. They are calling for justice for the lives lost and improvements to safety regulations to protect future guests. “We should never have to go through something like this,” she emphasized, as she and fellow survivors advocate for change.