Turkey hotel fire triggers political blame game between government, opposition

Reuters

Outrage over alleged safety failures at a 12-storey hotel in Turkey has escalated into a political clash between the government and the opposition-run local authorities, after a fire killed 79 people and injured more than 50.

The tragedy sparked calls for accountability and reform, and independent experts have said the Grand Kartal Hotel, at the Kartalkaya ski resort in western Turkey, lacked basic fire safety measures.

Survivors described chaos as they navigated smoke-filled corridors in darkness. Some said there were no alarms, sprinkler systems or visible fire escapes. Some were forced to leap from windows to escape and several died that way.

As of Jan. 23, authorities detained 12 people, including the hotel's owner, manager, a deputy mayor of Bolu province, and the head of the local fire department as part of a probe. The hotel's management pledged full cooperation and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan vowed accountability.

Bolu's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) led municipality and the Tourism Ministry blamed each other for a lack of fire safety measures, with each arguing it was the other's responsibility.

"All these people would not have died if the deficiencies we mentioned in (the fire) inspection had been addressed," Tanju Özcan, mayor of the Bolu Municipality, told broadcaster Halk TV.

Fire safety permit application withdrawn

Özcan said the hotel's owners had applied for a fire safety permit in December but withdrew the application after failing to meet eight out of nine required criteria. Instead the hotel, he said, got a substitute safety report from a private auditing company, which is allowed by law.

Özcan added that due to the ministry's jurisdiction, the municipality could not take further action.

"While the municipality was waiting for the deficiencies to be corrected, the hotel withdrew the request because they did not want to meet these costs and applied to another company. Authorization was given to a company authorized by the ministry," the mayor said.

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said the property was inspected in 2021 and 2024 with no safety issues flagged. He said the fire department was responsible for regular inspections and certifications and added that no issues had been reported to date.

Özcan said his municipality had no jurisdiction over the hotel, which lies outside city boundaries and in a designated tourism area. The municipality's last fire safety certification was dated 2007 and subsequent inspections were the ministry's responsibility, he said.

The tourism ministry said the hotel held a valid fire competence certificate.

The blaze erupted in the early hours of Jan. 21 at the hotel packed with 238 guests, including families on winter holiday, at the mountaintop facility.

Erol Percin, Bolu representative of the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers, called for reform in safety regulations and criticized what he called vague language in current laws.

"Our legislation does not refer to these norms. It is only vaguely stated that 'guest and employee safety must be ensured,'" he said, urging stricter rules.