The unanswered questions of Turkey’s hotel fire as grief-stricken families plan funerals for 79 dead

The fire which tore through a 12-story hotel at a popular ski resort in the Bolu mountains, killing dozens of people, was one of the deadliest disasters of its kind in Turkey.

The blaze at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalya on Tuesday left at least 79 people dead and 51 injured. Sickening reports emerged of some of the 238 registered guests jumping from windows to escape the flames.

President Tayyip Erdogan declared Wednesday a day of national mourning following the tragedy, which occurred during the peak of the winter tourism season, with many families from Istanbul and Ankara travelling to the Bolu mountains to ski.

How did the fire start?

The interior minister said the fire started at 03:27am (12:27am GMT) and firefighters arrived within 45 minutes.

Authorities have assigned six prosecutors to investigate the cause of the fire, which appeared to start in the restaurant section on the fourth floor of the wooden-clad hotel and spread quickly through to the upper floors.

NTV television suggested that the wooden cladding on the exterior of the hotel, in a chalet-style design, may have accelerated the spread of the fire.

Reports suggest the wooden cladding on the exterior of the hotel may have accelerated the spread of the fire (Enes Ozkan/IHA via AP)

Survivors reported they heard no fire alarms during the incident, which has placed officials under increasing criticism over the hotel’s safety measures.

“My wife smelled the burning. The alarm did not go off,” said Atakan Yelkovan, a guest staying on the third floor.

Guests said they had to navigate the smoke-filled corridors in complete darkness and other survivors described scenes of panic as they fled. Some survivors reportedly described smelling smoke almost an hour earlier.

Survivors reported they heard no fire alarms during the incident (AFP via Getty Images)

According to Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, the hotel underwent inspections in 2021 and 2024, and “no negative situation regarding fire competence” was reported by the fire department.

Officials and witnesses said the rescue efforts were hampered by the fact that part of the 161-room hotel is on the side of a cliff.

The hotel pledged full cooperation with the investigation and said it was “deeply saddened by the losses”.

Who are the victims?

Only 56 of the 79 bodies have been identified so far, the government said, while forensic DNA tests are being conducted to identify the others. All those named so far are Turkish nationals.

At least 20 of the fire victims were children, according to local media reports.

One of the injured was in serious condition, while 29 others were treated and released, the Health Ministry said.

Several funerals were held on Wednesday for families, including numerous children who died (EPA)

President Erdogan traveled to Bolu from the capital Ankara to attend the funeral of eight members of the Gultekin family, who were related to an official of his ruling party.

“Our hearts are broken,” Mr Erdogan said during the funeral of Zehra Sena Gultekin, her husband, their four children and another relative. “May God grant us patience.”

In Ankara, mourners joined officials at the Ahmet Hamdi Akseki Mosque to bid farewell to Ahmet Cetiz, a doctor at a private hospital in the city, his wife Habibe and their sons, Vedat and Esat. Vedat’s twin brother, Sedat, is also believed to have died, but his body has not been identified yet, the private DHA news agency reported.

The funeral was also held in Ankara on Wednesday for 15-year-old high Eren Bagci, a skiing enthusiast who was in Kartalkaya with his friends, DHA said.

Flags at government buildings and Turkish diplomatic missions abroad were lowered to half-mast as the nation shocked by the disaster observed a day of mourning for the victims.

Who is responsible?

Turkey has detained nine people, including the owner of the hotel, as part of an investigation into a fire, officials said on Wednesday morning.

Turkish Minister of Justice Yılmaz Tunç, wrote in a statement on Tuesday: “The judicial investigation launched by the Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding the hotel fire in Bolu Kartalkaya is being carried out meticulously and from multiple perspectives.”

He added: “The investigation of the cause of the fire by a panel of 5 experts in the relevant field is ongoing and work is ongoing to determine faults. Every stage of the investigation is carried out with great care and sensitivity.”

Turkish emergency personnel stand by the aftermath of the fire that broke out in the hotel (AFP via Getty Images)

The hotel, where the fire broke out, expressed deep sorrow in a statement on Wednesday and pledged full cooperation with the investigation.

“We are cooperating with authorities to shed light on all aspects of this incident,” the statement said. “We are deeply saddened by the losses and want you to know that we share this pain with all our hearts.”