logo
High-profile trial for deadly hotel fire that killed 78 opens in Turkiye

High-profile trial for deadly hotel fire that killed 78 opens in Turkiye

CTV News07-07-2025
Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in a hotel at a ski resort of Kartalkaya, located in Bolu province, in northwest Turkey, Jan. 21, 2025. (Enes Ozkan/IHA via AP, File)
ISTANBUL — A total of 32 defendants went on trial on Monday over a deadly fire that tore through a popular ski resort hotel, killing 78 people and injuring 133 others.
The Jan. 21 fire hit the 12-story Grand Kartal Hotel at the Kartalkaya ski resort in the province of Bolu during the winter school break. Dozens of children taking family vacations were among the victims.
The tragedy, which saw guests and staff jump out of windows to escape smoke and flame-filled rooms or dangle sheets out of windows to lower themselves down, sent shockwaves across Turkey and sparked widespread calls for accountability over negligence and safety violations.
Thirteen of the defendants face potential jail terms of 1,998 years each on charges of killing or wounding with possible intent, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency, citing a 98-page indictment from the Bolu Public Prosecutor's Office. The 19 others are charged with negligently causing death or injury, for which they could be jailed for 22 1/2 years.
With 210 plaintiffs and 32 defendants involved in the high-profile case, the trial is taking place at a sports center in Bolu that has been temporarily converted into a 700-seat courtroom to accommodate the proceedings, Anadolu reported.
On Monday, family members and friends of the victims staged a demonstration outside the sports center, holding up posters of their loved ones and demanding justice.
'This is not neglect, it is murder,' the Anadolu Agency quoted Zeynep Kotan, the mother of 17-year-old Omur Kotan, who lost her life in the fire, as saying.
The fire started at 3.17 a.m. local time as a spark from an electric grill plate in the fourth-floor kitchen lit a nearby garbage bin before melting the hose of a liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG, and igniting the gas.
Staff first noticed the flames at 3.24 a.m. and called the emergency services but within two minutes the blaze had 'exceeded controllable limits,' according to the indictment.
The blaze took hold of the wooden ceiling, accelerated by the flow of air from a door left open by escaping kitchen staff.
The indictment says that inadequate measures on the stairs and elevators and the lack of a smoke extraction system caused flammable and toxic fumes to swiftly spread to the upper floors, filling corridors with smoke.
The lack of emergency alarms, faulty fire detection and warning systems and insufficient staff fire training meant the hotel's 238 guests were not alerted to the blaze in time.
Escape routes through the stairways and emergency exits were not properly fitted and there was no sprinkler system, turning the hotel's stairwells and life shafts into 'chimneys' for the smoke to quickly reach the upper floors.
The indictment adds that the absence of emergency lighting, fire escape signs and alternative exits stopped the safe evacuation of guests.
The 14-day trial will hear that legal responsibility lay with owner Halit Ergul and company board members, including his wife and daughters, and managers.
Also facing the higher punishment are Bolu's deputy mayor and deputy fire chief. Those facing the lesser charges consist of hotel staff, inspection officials and maintenance workers.
The hotel first opened in 1999 and has been operated by Ergul's company since 2007.
In a statement to prosecutors made within days of the fire, Ergul said the hotel was checked for fire safety every two years by government-authorized inspectors before receiving a tourism certificate, allowing it to operate. The most recent certificate was due to expire in March.
The hotel's last inspection by the Culture and Tourism Ministry was conducted five weeks before the fire, Ergul said.
Andrew Wilks And Suzan Fraser, The Associated Press
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Vehicle belonging to police officer crashes into bank in Laval, catches fire
Vehicle belonging to police officer crashes into bank in Laval, catches fire

CTV News

time3 hours ago

  • CTV News

Vehicle belonging to police officer crashes into bank in Laval, catches fire

Laval police (SPL) are investigating after a vehicle belonging to a police officer crashed into a bank. (Laval fire department) Laval police (SPL) are investigating after a vehicle belonging to a police officer was driven into a National Bank location and caught fire. Police report that a 911 call at around 1 a.m. prompted officers to the National Bank on Montée du Moulin at Marcel-Villeneuve Avenue. 'The vehicle collided with the west facade of the building and caught fire,' said SPL spokesperson Erika Landry. 'The west facade of the National Bank also subsequently caught fire.' When police and firefighters responded to the scene, there was no one in the vehicle, which police confirmed belongs to a police officer from another jurisdiction. 'Two persons of interest were located a little further away and were met by our officers,' said Landry. 'They were released a short time later.' Landry said she could not confirm that the officer who owns the car was in the vehicle or whether one of the two suspects was a police officer. 'We are attempting to reconstruct the sequence of events,' she said. 'We have taken charge of the investigation, and several checks will be conducted in the coming hours.' The investigation is ongoing.

Resident escapes attic fire in St. Thomas
Resident escapes attic fire in St. Thomas

CTV News

time3 hours ago

  • CTV News

Resident escapes attic fire in St. Thomas

A fire broke out in the attic of this home on Malakoff Street in St. Thomas, Ont. on Friday, July 25, 2025. (Brent Lale/CTV News London) On a hot, hazy night, the smoke from a St. Thomas house fire could be smelled across the city. Around 9:30 p.m. Friday, the attic of a home on Malakoff Street caught fire. 'We got multiple 911 calls for a fire at the house,' said Kim Destun, chief fire prevention officer with St Thomas Fire Department (STFD). 'All the occupants were able to escape quickly and there were no animals involved.' The home is surrounded by trees, which made it difficult for the firefighters to attack the persistent blaze. 'A lot of access issues with the trees around it,' said Destun. 'It's been a tough one. It's up in the attic, so firefighters really had to struggle to get it out. Hydro had to come in, and it's a fairly narrow street and we were blocking off most of the space.' ST THOMAS ATTIC FIRE Firefighters battle an attic blaze on Malakoff Street in St. Thomas on Friday, July 25, 2025. (Source: St. Thomas Fire Department) One of the two occupants of the house was home at the time of the fire, and got out right away. Police, EMS and Victim Services were on hand to help the STFD. When firefighters arrived, the smoke was coming through the attic area, and the entire area was under a cloud of haze. 'It was very smoky and because of the wind … it was all down at street level for some reason,' said Destun. 'It's hot tonight and the firefighters really struggled with the heat. It's been a tough go for them.' With Station #1 being only three minutes away, and multiple calls for assistance they were able to get it knocked down quickly. The cause is still being determined, but it is not considered suspicious.

Lethbridge man facing three more sexual assault charges
Lethbridge man facing three more sexual assault charges

CTV News

timea day ago

  • CTV News

Lethbridge man facing three more sexual assault charges

A Lethbridge man is facing additional sexual assault charges, due in part to a social media post. Police launched an investigation back in May after being alerted to a post alleging multiple women had been assaulted by the same man. Investigators looking into the accusation spoke with a 35-year-old woman who said she was sexually assaulted in April 2019 after going to an acquaintance's home and accepting a drink from him. The incident had not previously been reported to police. Landon Byron Kern Waters, 36, was then charged with sexual assault in June. At the time, police released a photo of Waters and encouraged additional victims to come forward. On Friday, police announced three additional sexual assault charges against Waters in connection with incidents between 2009 and 2022. He's also charged with two counts of assault with a weapon and two counts of administering a drug to overcome resistance. Waters has been released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 26.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store