Prosecutors in Turkey are seeking long prison sentences for 32 suspects over a fire that killed 78 people at a ski resort hotel in January, according to an indictment cited in the Turkish media on Saturday.
The fire broke out at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu’s Kartalkaya ski resort in the early hours of January 21. Survivor accounts and expert findings pointed to multiple failures in fire safety protocols.
According to the indictment prepared by the Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, 13 individuals — including the hotel’s owner, board members, general manager, Bolu’s deputy mayor, deputy fire chief and a firefighter — are accused of “killing with possible intent” and face up to 1,998 years in prison each.
Another 19 suspects, including technical staff, kitchen workers and outside maintenance personnel, face up to 22-and-a-half years in prison on charges of “causing death and injuries through conscious negligence.”
The fire reportedly began at 3:17 a.m. with an electric grill plate left on in the fourth-floor kitchen. A malfunctioning thermostat caused the appliance to overheat, igniting a nearby gas hose and triggering a blaze that became uncontrollable within minutes.
Experts said the heat caused wooden and chipboard materials to emit flammable gases, filling upper floors with toxic smoke. The fire then spread along the building’s wood-clad exterior.
The indictment found that the hotel had no audible fire alarm and that its emergency plan was inadequate. Staff were described as untrained and contributed to the fire’s spread by opening the main doors of the car park.
The fire occurred during the winter school break, with 238 guests at the hotel. Many survivors said there were no functioning alarms, fire doors or safe exits. Several guests were forced to jump from windows using bedsheets as ropes.
© Agence France-Presse