Turkish ski resort fire kills 76, guests jump from windows

BOLU, — A devastating fire swept through a ski resort hotel in Turkey’s Bolu mountains early Tuesday, leaving 76 people dead and dozens injured. The blaze forced panicked guests at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya to jump out of windows to escape the flames, officials said.

The fire broke out around 3:30 a.m. local time on the restaurant floor of the 12-story building, according to authorities. Witnesses described a scene of chaos as the flames quickly consumed the wood-fronted structure.

“It felt like the end of the world. The flames swallowed the hotel in less than half an hour,” said Mevlut Ozer, a witness to the tragedy.

Emergency services, including several fire engines and ambulances, rushed to the scene. White bedsheets, tied together and dangling from upper-floor windows, bore evidence of desperate attempts by guests to escape.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a national day of mourning on Wednesday in response to the tragedy.

Survivors recounted harrowing escapes. Omer Sakrak, an employee at a neighboring hotel, described how people jumped from windows in a desperate bid to survive.

“One of my friends jumped from the 11th floor—may God grant him mercy,” Sakrak said. He added that some guests used bedsheets to climb down, but one attempt ended tragically when the sheets tore, causing a guest to fall fatally.

Another witness recalled a father pleading for his infant’s life: “He was yelling, ‘I will throw my child or he will burn,’” Sakrak said.

Guests told local TV stations they ran through smoke-filled hallways and reported hearing no alarms.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed 238 guests were staying at the hotel, which is popular among families from Istanbul and Ankara during school holidays. Speaking from the resort, he expressed deep sorrow.

“Our pain is impossible to describe,” Yerlikaya said, adding that search operations had concluded and the fire was extinguished.

Authorities are conducting DNA tests to identify victims. An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, with nine individuals taken into custody. Yerlikaya said prosecutors would ensure accountability.

The tragedy casts a shadow over Kartalkaya, a sought-after destination at the base of popular ski slopes in northwest Turkey.

(With files from Reuters)