what we know after the hotel fire that killed 76 people

Many witnesses denounced the absence of fire alarms and fire doors. Here’s what we know.

What happened?

According to the Turkish press, the fire broke out in a restaurant located on the fourth floor of the establishment which has twelve floors. The fire started at 3:27 a.m. Tuesday, according to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, who said the firefighters, “428 on board 156 trucks,” intervened within 45 minutes.

But several witnesses said that more than an hour after the first smoke, and while customers on the upper floors were calling for help, no help was present.

Some customers and employees even claimed to have smelled the smoke and seen the flames as early as 2:30 a.m. The disaster spread quickly, possibly encouraged by the exterior wooden cladding, trapping customers on the upper floors, some of whom died while climbing out of the window.

What is the outcome?

The Minister of the Interior announced Tuesday evening the death of 76 people, without specifying whether the previous toll of 51 injured had changed.

According to him, 56 of the victims had been identified Tuesday evening and 45 bodies returned to their relatives.

The Turkish press reported Wednesday that 14 members of the same family died in the fire.

What reaction did the hotel have?

The management of the Grand Kartal hotel presented its condolences and expressed “its sorrow” in a press release published overnight, ensuring “to cooperate with the authorities to shed light on this accident”.

This luxury establishment (several hundred euros per night) is located 35 km from Bolu, the provincial capital, and less than four hours’ drive east of Istanbul. It was practically full during these winter school holidays in Türkiye, with 238 registered customers.

The building, with panoramic views of the mountains, is located near a steep slope, which complicated the intervention of firefighters.

Where is the investigation?

The Ministry of Justice announced the opening of an investigation entrusted to six prosecutors and formed a committee of five experts. At this point, nine people were arrested, including the hotel manager.

According to the Ministry of Tourism, the hotel had been “verified” by the firefighters in 2021 and 2024. But the ministry and municipality are passing the buck on the issuance of certificates of compliance with safety standards.

Negligence?

Survivors of the disaster unanimously denounced the absence of a fire alarm system, smoke detectors and fire doors.