Public outrage is growing in Turkey after at least 76 people were killed and 51 injured in a fire at a hotel in the popular Kartalkaya ski resort in the northwestern Bolu province as survivors’ accounts point to a lack of fire safety measures.

The fire erupted at around 3:30 a.m. local time Tuesday in the Grand Kartal Hotel, a 12-story ski resort popular with vacationers during Turkey’s midterm school holiday. The flames, reportedly originating in the hotel’s restaurant, spread rapidly through the building, which had significant wooden cladding, according to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. Fire crews battled the inferno for hours as desperate guests attempted to escape by tying sheets together and climbing out of windows. Some fell to their death.

Yerlikaya updated the earlier figure of 66 dead on Tuesday evening, saying that 52 of the victims had been identified so far.

Turkey: 66 people were killed overnight by a fire that engulfed a ski resort hotel in the town of Bolu pic.twitter.com/8Y0FQxR0i1

— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) January 21, 2025

“This was a massacre by negligence,” one survivor told local media. “There were no fire alarms, no emergency lights, nothing. People were jumping to escape the flames.”

Among the 76 confirmed dead in the fire was Sözcü newspaper columnist Nedim Türkmen and his family. Türkmen’s daughter, Ala Türkmen, had issued a distress call on social media, writing, “I have no news from my family, we are trapped in the fire. Urgent help.”

Later reports confirmed that Türkmen, his wife Neva Türkmen and their daughters Pelin and Ala Türkmen did not survive the blaze.

Survivors and experts are pointing to glaring safety violations at the hotel. Witnesses said no fire alarms went off when the fire broke out, and many guests were trapped inside because of an apparent lack of functioning fire escapes. Official statements have contradicted survivor accounts, with Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy claiming the hotel had two fire escapes. However, footage from the scene has fueled skepticism, with no visible fire exits in some parts of the building.

Experts also said the fire’s rapid spread was due to the materials used in the hotel’s construction. “A building with significant wooden elements should have extensive fire suppression measures,” Anıl Yamaner, an industrial fire safety consultant, was quoted by the Patronlar Dünyası news website as saying. “Clearly, that was not the case here.”

Adding to public anger, reports emerged that the hotel had been flagged for potential fire hazards in the past. An 18-year-old fire safety report from the Bolu Fire Department, now circulating on social media, warned that fire risks could be minimized only if strict precautions were observed. However, it remains unclear if the hotel followed through on the recommendations.

Government under fire

Critics have accused the government of failing to enforce basic fire safety regulations. The Justice Ministry announced that six prosecutors have been assigned to investigate the fire, while the Interior Ministry has launched an administrative probe. However, opposition politicians and rights groups are demanding an independent inquiry.

“It is appalling and unbelievable to be told that the hotel did not have a fire escape and that the fire extinguishing systems were not working,” the Human Rights Association of Turkey (İHD) said in a statement. “The responsibility of both the Bolu Municipality and the Ministry of Tourism must be investigated, and those responsible must be determined as soon as possible.”

The Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has imposed a media blackout on the investigation, barring news outlets from reporting details about the probe. Critics argue this is an attempt to suppress the public outcry.

Erol Önderoğlu, Turkey representative for Reporters Without Borders (RSF), condemned the move, stating, “A journalist’s responsibility is to conduct thorough, constructive inquiries into allegations of negligence and lack of oversight regarding the Grand Kartal Hotel fire. A judicial investigation cannot be used to suspend journalism. Therefore, the ban on news, interviews and criticism is unlawful.”

Survivors recall horror

Survivors described scenes of chaos as the fire engulfed the building. “I woke up to the sound of screams,” Eylem Şentürk, who managed to escape with her family, told local media. “The lack of a fire alarm and a fire escape meant that people were trapped there. The reason so many people died is because there was no fire alarm. If there had been, action could have been taken earlier.”

Şentürk said when they opened the door of their room, they saw that the hallway was filled with smoke.

“We quickly got ready and tried to go down the stairs. The smoke was so thick that we couldn’t breathe. My daughter and I ran around the stairs to a door that we remembered seeing. Although my husband came out right after us, he couldn’t go downstairs because of the smoke. He jumped out the window onto the porch below and waited with the people on that floor. Then they jumped onto a car and escaped.”

In another harrowing account, a witness described how guests tried to escape by tying sheets together. “Some people jumped when the flames got too close. It was horrible,” the witness told local media. “We threw ropes and blankets to help, but not everyone made it.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan addressed the issue during a speech at a gathering of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in southern Adana province to acknowledge the tragedy, promising that those responsible would be held accountable. “The necessary steps will be taken to shed light on all aspects of this incident,” he said.

The Grand Kartal Hotel, one of the region’s oldest ski resorts, has been operating since the late 1990s. While it passed fire inspections in 2021 and 2024, experts now question the thoroughness of those evaluations.

Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan distanced himself from the controversy, stating that the hotel’s license was issued by the Ministry of Tourism, not the municipality. “The hotel was built before my tenure. I don’t have information on whether it had fire escapes or not,” he said.

Social media has been flooded with calls for justice. Many users have accused authorities of failing to enforce regulations to save human lives.

“People died in their sleep because there was no fire alarm,” wrote one user. “How is this even possible in 2025?”