A fire engulfed the Grand Kartal Hotel in a ski resort in Kartalkaya, Turkey, that, unfortunately, killed 76 people and injured dozens. Following investigations, local police have arrested nine individuals, including the hotel's owner, amid criticism over the hotel's safety.
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According to the BBC, several concerns around the hotel's fire safety have been raised. Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Turkey's Culture and Tourism minister, claims that the hotel had a fire competence certificate. However, local mayor Tanju Ozcan stated that the fire department has not issued any positive reports since 2007. Moreover, survivors have claimed that they heard no fire alarm once the fire started and that the fire extinguishing system was inadequate.
One of the survivors, Atakan Yelkovan, detailed his traumatizing experience. "My wife smelled the fire We went down earlier than others. The alarm did not go off," Yelkovan said. "It took about an hour to 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." Yelkovan and his wife were staying on the third floor.
At least two of the people who were staying on the top floors, who were overwhelmed and trapped by the fire, decided to jump to their deaths.
Ill-Equipped Hotel
Officials have stated that the high death toll and the apparent delayed fire warning and detection might suggest that the hotel was not adequately equipped to handle a fire of that nature. Kazim Beceren, head of the Turkish Fire Protection and Education Foundation, suggested that "the fire system either does not exist or was not designed in accordance with the standards," according to the BBC.
Moreover, according to the Bolu Engineers' and Architects' Union, photos of the hotel uploaded on its website show that there was no automatic sprinkler system installed. According to them, the system was supposed to be installed back in 2008.
The tragic fire started around 03:27 a.m. local time. Investigations have shown that the fire started in the restaurant area located on the fourth floor. Firefighters arrived 45 minutes later. NBC News reported that 45 fatal victims were handed over to their families. The remaining victims are currently undergoing forensic DNA tests to identify them.
