In Turkey a fire at a skiing resort hotel once again highlights a history of negligence

Screenshot taken from the video “Drone video shows fire at a Turkish ski resort hotel | REUTERS” from the scene of the fire, on the Reuters YouTube channel. Fair use.

It was meant to be a vacation for many of those who perished in a fire that broke out at a skiing resort on January 21. It is a two-week school holiday in Turkey, hence there were many families among hotel guests. As of January 24, the death toll had reached 78 people (including entire families and approximately 20 children), while 51 were reportedly injured to varying degrees. It took 36 hours to complete search and rescue operations. In total 12 people have been detained, among them the owner of the hotel, Deputy Mayor of Bolu Sedat Gülener and Acting Fire Department Chief Kenan Coşkun. Shortly after the news hit the public, authorities turned to the usual blame game, with a media gag order, citing it as preventive measure against misinformation, while leaving citizens in the dark.

The 12-story Grand Kartal Hotel is one of the ski resort hotels in the province of Bolu. The wooden building is 26 year old. At the time of the fire 234 people were staying at the hotel. Guests who witnessed the tragedy first hand said they did not hear fire alarms go off or sprinklers turn on when the fire started.

According to the Minister of Culture and Tourism Nuri Ersoy, the hotel had a fire competence certificate issued by the fire department in 2021 and 2024 but the latter was refuted by the Bolu Mayor Tanju Ozcan, who said the fire department had not issued a positive report since 2007.

Kartalkaya, where the fire broke out, falls outside the Bolu municipality jurisdiction. Because of that the licensing of tourist facilities in Kartalkaya is carried out by the Bolu Provincial Special Administration. Businesses with a “tourism operation certificate” are licensed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. While this explained the back and forth between the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Bolu municipality it was a report by journalist Ismayil Saymaz that settled the matter of accountability. Speaking to Halk TV in an interview, Saymaz revealed how Bolu Municipality sent inspectors on December 16, 2024 after receiving a request from the Grand Kartal Hotel dated December 12, 2024. The inspection report indicated seven deficiencies, including unsuitable two emergency exit doors and fire exits, a defective alarm system, insufficient electrical equipment and fire extinguishing equipment, as well as a lack of smoke detectors.

Saymaz also shared a second request sent by the hotel to the municipality requesting the withdrawal of the previous request, which was then approved by the municipality. It is unclear whether municipality informed the Ministry of Culture and Tourism but, following the leak, the deputy mayor and the head of the fire department were detained. Even though, according to a directive regulating tourism facilities, the responsibility to regularly inspect hotels and ensure they meet safety standards lies with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The consequences

Speaking to the BBC, one of the survivors of the fire, Atakan Yelkovan, said there was no alarm and it was his wife who smelled the smoke. Other survivors confirmed in interviews with the media that they did not hear any alarms going off and felt lucky they were able to escape.

Other survivors said they also did not see any fire escapes. “My husband had to jump down from a ledge because he couldn’t find the fire escape. I’ve stayed at this hotel before, and I’ve never seen a fire escape,” said survivor Eylem Şentürk in an interview with journalists. A member of hotel staff, Neçirvan Öner, corroborated this, telling journalists the fire escape “was not proper” and that “there were no fire extinguishers on the floors.”

Dr. Mustafa Bilge, an expert in fire suppression systems, emphasized in an interview with Global Voices that the hotel lacked critical fire safety measures, which contributed to the tragic loss of lives.

Fire escape doors must be capable of withstanding fire for 90 minutes and should only open from the inside. Moreover, kitchen ventilation hoods must be equipped with specialized fire suppression systems. The building should have been equipped with a fire sprinkler system, smoke detectors, fire exits throughout the premises, and stairwell pressurization systems to facilitate safe evacuation. These systems, which should have been centrally controlled by a fire alarm panel, were absent, leaving occupants vulnerable during the fire.

The regulation on the Fire Protection of Buildings states that buildings that fall under the category of hotels and guesthouses with more than 200 beds and higher than two floors are obligated to install sprinkler systems. The hotel where the fire broke out had a capacity for 350 beds, had 161 rooms, and was 12 floors high.  The sprinkler systems for buildings in this and similar categories were made obligatory in 2008. And, according to health and safety regulations, inspections of such equipment must be carried out once a year.

“However, there is a significant gap in defining who is responsible for conducting fire system tests, under what standards these tests should be performed, and how compliance certificates should be issued,” explained Dr. Mustafa Bilge. He also called for urgent regulations aligning with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards. He also recommended establishing dedicated fire department units for testing and inspection, and ensuring fire personnel receive training and certification from local expert organizations such as the Turkish Fire Protection and Education Foundation (TÜYAK), the Mechanical Contractors Association (MTMD), and the Turkish Society of HVAC (heat, ventilation, and air conditioning) and Sanitary Engineers  (TTMD).

Other experts who spoke to the media explained that, given the death toll, the likelihood of the hotel having properly functioning warning, detection and extinguishing system was slim. In an interview with the BBC, the head of the Turkish Fire Protection and Education Foundation said “the fire system either did not exist or was not designed in accordance with the standards.”

“It is obvious that adequate fire safety measures were not taken in the facility,” read a statement from the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB).

But all of these observations were already identified in that inspection on December 16, 2024.

According to reporting by Bianet, the hotel is located in a ski resort where three other hotels are located. However, there was no dedicated fire department in the area and the nearest fire station was 28.5 kilometers away. The distance, as well as weather conditions, delayed the response.

In search of accountability

Visiting Bolu on January 23, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan promised accountability, but critics of the government say in a country where no government official has taken accountability for any of the tragedies this too will soon be forgotten.

“Each time, there is a tragedy, we witness the same thing over again. No responsible person is found, no punishment is given, nor are we told what will get fixed. This isn't destiny, this is lack of control, incompetence, injustice, and greed,” shared popular Instagram account Turkish Dictionary. In another post on Instagram, the same account demanded “resignation and trial of those responsible and all hotels complete safety review.”

A graphic designer Mahir Akkoyun known as Mahirgra on social media platforms wrote:

The negligence and irresponsibility arising as a result of political decisions have once again shown that human life has no value in this country. In a country where those responsible can never be fully held accountable, this cycle of disaster will continue as long as there is no accountability.

News platform Fayn Studio listed a chronology of tragic events from 2003 until 2025, where lives were lost like the Soma mine killing 301 mine workers, 2016 fire at a girls’ dormitory in Adana killing 14, or the 2018 train accident in Chorlu, killing 25, or the devastating February 2023 earthquake in which over 53 thousand people died as per official data. The chronology was titled “tens of tragedies which could have been avoided, zero resignations.” “Just like after every tragedy we are going to look for those responsible. While those whose real job is to do this will wait for the news agenda to change and the subject be forgotten,” wrote the editorial team in a post shared on their Instagram page.

Turks have been accustomed to tragedies and stories shaking them to the core, just as they are accustomed to seeing no responsibility taken by any of the government officials at any time.

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