Advocacy groups blame neglect for Turkish ski resort fire tragedy

Duvar English

The Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB), the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey (DİSK), the Confederation of Public Employees' Trade Unions (KESK), and the Istanbul Medical Chamber (İTO) on Jan. 23 issued a joint press statement regarding the fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in central Turkey's Bolu province, which claimed 79 lives.

The statement highlighted how preventable such tragedies were, through regulations and public oversight. "In a system dominated by profit-driven motives, it is us who die in fires, collapse under rubble during earthquakes, become victims of workplace accidents, and are condemned to poverty and hunger," the statement continued.

The statement emphasized that fires are unpredictable disasters in terms of timing, location, and duration. It called for implementing scientific and technological measures to prevent such incidents. It noted that engineering solutions, regular maintenance, inspections, and proper oversight could prevent these types of accidents from resulting in fatalities but lamented that they have become common due to systemic failures.

Although the exact cause of the fire and the building’s fire safety measures would be clarified through official expert reviews, it was evident that there were deficiencies in fire detection, warnings, and evacuation processes. Visual evidence from social media and the press suggested severe delays in evacuating the building, with smoke-filled stairwells leaving no choice but to jump from the upper floors.

The Grand Kartal Hotel, which housed 237 guests besides its staff, was known to have a capacity of 161 rooms and 350 beds. According to regulations, a building of this size should have an automatic sprinkler system to contain and extinguish fires. However, it remained unclear whether the hotel had a functioning fire detection and alarm system or a fire suppression system. Based on the scale of the tragedy, it was likely that these systems were either absent or inoperative.

The statement criticized a 2017 amendment to the Fire Protection of Buildings Regulation, which categorized buildings completed before 2007 as "existing structures," exempting them from mandatory fire safety upgrades. It argued that such regulatory gaps had allowed the continued neglect of essential fire safety measures.

TMMOB had long warned of these deficiencies, particularly in public buildings, and called for comprehensive fire safety regulations. The statement also highlighted the impact of a 2012 directive from the Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change Ministry, which transferred fire safety inspections from fire departments to district municipalities, undermining oversight.

The organizations held the government responsible for failing to enforce regulations and allowing private sector entities to prioritize profit over safety. They demanded urgent reforms, including amendments to the Fire Protection of Buildings Regulation, mandatory employment of expert engineers in public buildings, and regular inspections of fire detection and alarm systems.

The statement concluded by calling for justice for the victims and accountability for negligence. It vowed to monitor the investigation and continue advocating for systemic changes to prevent future tragedies. The organizations also reiterated that every preventable death was a form of negligence and called for action to prioritize public safety over profit.