The fire that killed at least 79 people at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Türkiye’s Kartalkaya ski resort on Monday has raised serious questions about fire safety protocols and the conditions that led to one of the deadliest disasters of its kind in Turkish history, according to the BBC.
The fire broke out in the early hours of the morning around 03:27 local time in the restaurant area on the fourth floor of the 12-story hotel. Firefighters arrived within 45 minutes, but some survivors claimed they smelled smoke nearly an hour before the blaze was reported. Many guests said the fire alarm did not activate promptly, leaving them unaware of the danger until it was too late.
Resort guest Atakan Yelkovan, who escaped with his wife from the third floor, described the chaos. “The alarm did not go off . . . . It took about an hour and a half for the fire brigade to come. In the meantime, the fourth and fifth floors were burning. People on the upper floors were screaming.”
Some guests on higher floors tried to escape by tying bedding into ropes, while others tragically jumped to their deaths.
The hotel, located in the popular ski resort, had 238 guests at the time, many of whom were on vacation at the start of a two-week school holiday.
The facility reportedly had a valid fire inspection certificate issued by the fire department, but it has been challenged. The Mayor of Bolu, Tanju Özcan, stated that the last positive fire safety report for the hotel was issued in 2007, raising concerns over inspection lapses.
Experts, including Kazim Beceren of the Turkish Fire Protection and Education Foundation, have highlighted possible deficiencies in the hotel’s fire safety systems. “The size of the fire and its rapid spread suggest that either the fire system was absent or not designed in accordance with standards,” he said. Wooden cladding on the building’s exterior, which should have been fully fire-resistant, also raised concerns.
An automatic sprinkler system, mandatory for buildings of that size, appears to have been missing, according to the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) in Bolu. Their statement suggested that such a system, required since 2008, was never installed, which contributed to the rapid spread of the fire. Bolu’s engineers added that escape routes and emergency lighting systems were insufficient, hampering evacuation efforts.
Despite the claims, Türkiye’s Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy defended the hotel, asserting that it had the necessary fire certificate. Mayor Özcan asserted that the facility’s location outside the city placed the responsibility for inspections on the ministry.
Türkiye’s interior minister revealed that the hotel had two fire escapes, but experts said they likely did not meet required standards. Survivors described chaotic evacuation scenes, with smoke-filled corridors and a lack of clear guidance. Fire safety specialists noted that in a properly maintained building, alarms, sprinklers, and evacuation protocols could have significantly reduced the death toll.
Eleven people, including the hotel owner, have been detained as investigations continue. Hotel management has expressed condolences to the victims and their families and pledged full cooperation with authorities. However, public demand for accountability and stricter enforcement of fire safety regulations is growing.
The tragedy has also reignited debates over outdated fire safety measures in Türkiye, with calls for comprehensive reviews of older buildings to ensure compliance with modern standards.
Professor Sevket Ozgur Atayilmaz of Yildiz Technical University called for stricter enforcement. “Crowded places such as hotels, residences, and kindergartens must be held to current standards, or they should not be allowed to operate.”
While investigators continue to examine the cause of the fire, one thing is clear: the Kartalkaya tragedy has exposed critical gaps in fire safety oversight, raising urgent questions about the protection of public spaces in Türkiye.