The tragic fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya, a popular Turkish ski resort, has resulted in at least 76 fatalities, making it one of the worst hotel disasters in the nation’s history. The incident occurred in the early hours of Monday, shortly after 03:27 local time. Survivors have voiced alarm over the lack of functioning fire alarms and the delayed response from emergency services, raising critical questions about fire safety protocols in place at the facility.
Witness testimonies indicate that some guests reported smelling smoke nearly an hour before the fire was officially detected. Atakan Yelkovan, a survivor on the third floor, stated, “The alarm did not go off... It took about an hour to an hour-and-a-half for the fire brigade to come.” Guests frantically sought escape, with some resorting to tying bedsheets together while others faced suffocating smoke. One survivor recounted, “My husband had to jump off the hotel porch because of the smoke; we are very lucky to have survived.”
Despite the interior minister's remark that the hotel possessed a fire competence certificate “issued by the fire department," local mayor Tanju Ozcan contested this claim, asserting that no positive evaluations had been made since 2007. Investigations have led to the detention of nine individuals, including the hotel owner, as inquiries continue into the circumstances surrounding the fire's rapid spread and the hotel's supposed fire prevention systems.
Experts in fire safety are incredulous at the high death toll, given the size and structure of the hotel. Kazim Beceren from the Turkish Fire Protection and Education Foundation emphasized that fire alarm systems should respond within seconds, adding, “In a good business, there should be someone in charge of this panel 24 hours a day, seven days a week.” An assessment by Erol Percin from the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects suggested that critical fire detection and suppression systems might not have been operational, leading to the fire’s swift spread.
Furthermore, the head of the Turkish Fire Protection and Education Foundation highlighted that the building's exterior wood-cladding should have been wholly fire-resistant, a specification that seemed not to be adhered to. According to safety regulations, an automatic sprinkler system is deemed mandatory for buildings of this size; nevertheless, it appears this essential safety feature was not installed.
As the shocked nation processes the devastating loss, calls emerge for rigorous inspections of other older establishments to ensure they meet current fire safety standards. Awareness is growing not only for the victims of this tragedy but also for the imperative need to protect future patrons in similar establishments.
Witness testimonies indicate that some guests reported smelling smoke nearly an hour before the fire was officially detected. Atakan Yelkovan, a survivor on the third floor, stated, “The alarm did not go off... It took about an hour to an hour-and-a-half for the fire brigade to come.” Guests frantically sought escape, with some resorting to tying bedsheets together while others faced suffocating smoke. One survivor recounted, “My husband had to jump off the hotel porch because of the smoke; we are very lucky to have survived.”
Despite the interior minister's remark that the hotel possessed a fire competence certificate “issued by the fire department," local mayor Tanju Ozcan contested this claim, asserting that no positive evaluations had been made since 2007. Investigations have led to the detention of nine individuals, including the hotel owner, as inquiries continue into the circumstances surrounding the fire's rapid spread and the hotel's supposed fire prevention systems.
Experts in fire safety are incredulous at the high death toll, given the size and structure of the hotel. Kazim Beceren from the Turkish Fire Protection and Education Foundation emphasized that fire alarm systems should respond within seconds, adding, “In a good business, there should be someone in charge of this panel 24 hours a day, seven days a week.” An assessment by Erol Percin from the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects suggested that critical fire detection and suppression systems might not have been operational, leading to the fire’s swift spread.
Furthermore, the head of the Turkish Fire Protection and Education Foundation highlighted that the building's exterior wood-cladding should have been wholly fire-resistant, a specification that seemed not to be adhered to. According to safety regulations, an automatic sprinkler system is deemed mandatory for buildings of this size; nevertheless, it appears this essential safety feature was not installed.
As the shocked nation processes the devastating loss, calls emerge for rigorous inspections of other older establishments to ensure they meet current fire safety standards. Awareness is growing not only for the victims of this tragedy but also for the imperative need to protect future patrons in similar establishments.
