The negligence behind the fire that claimed 78 lives at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu, northwestern Türkiye, is coming to light.
It has been revealed that 19 days before the disaster, the Bolu Municipality Fire Department identified shortcomings during a fire safety inspection at the hotel but took no action. Furthermore, the fire department issued a "fire safety compliance certificate" for the restaurant, which was the source of the deadly blaze. Bolu's mayor, Tanju Özcan, who claimed "the responsibility is not ours," was caught in a lie after details of the documents were revealed.
Özcan, from the Republican People's Party (CHP), had previously stated: "I don't know if there is a fire escape. We didn’t issue the permit, so we don’t have that information. The hotel was licensed by the Ministry of Tourism in 1997. The area belongs to the National Parks, and it's outside our jurisdiction."
The tragedy that occurred at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu's Kartalkaya region is now under investigation for a series of failures leading to the disaster. According to investigators, on Dec. 12, 2024, a petition was signed by the hotel management and submitted to the Bolu Municipality Fire Department requesting a fire safety inspection. On Dec. 16, 2024, the fire department's inspection team carried out a check of the Grand Kartal Hotel. The inspection form prepared by the fire department revealed several deficiencies in the hotel’s fire safety systems.
The report pointed out the lack of proper evacuation exits, illuminated directional signs, emergency lighting, electrical installation suitability, fire extinguishing equipment instructions, detection systems, fire alarms, lightning rods and smoke control systems. Additionally, the report mentioned that areas near the pool, spa and restaurant had inadequate emergency exits that did not meet fire safety regulations. Despite these findings, the hotel was not shut down or penalized but was instead allowed to continue operations, even after a request for re-inspection was canceled by the hotel on Dec. 24, 2024.
On Dec. 24, 2024, another request was made for a "fire safety compliance certificate" for the hotel’s restaurant. The petition was submitted by Mudurnu Enerji Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş., the company operating the restaurant, asking for the certificate for the 70-square-meter cafe and restaurant. Despite the earlier inspection revealing deficiencies, the Bolu Municipality Fire Department issued a fire safety certificate for the venue on Jan. 2, 2025, confirming that it was safe for operation.
A preliminary damage report for the Grand Kartal Hotel indicated that the building was "severely damaged." A final report will determine whether the building requires reinforcement or demolition.
The fire safety certificate for the hotel’s restaurant was signed by Bolu Deputy Mayor Sedat Gülener, who is also the nephew of Özcan. It was revealed that Gülener had been assigned to oversee the fire department two years ago by the mayor. Gülener had previously worked for a private public bus company in Bolu before the 2019 local elections. After Özcan's election, Gülener was hired by the municipality.
As part of the investigation led by the Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, nine people have already been arrested in connection with the fire. Following further investigation, Gülener and acting Fire Chief Kenan Coşkun were taken into custody, bringing the total number of arrests to 11. Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç assured that the investigation would be conducted with great care and thoroughness.
On Jan. 22, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and first lady Emine Erdoğan attended the funeral prayer for the citizens who tragically lost their lives in the fire. Following the ceremony, they visited the grieving families, offering their condolences.
The president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev called President Erdoğan to express their condolences and support for Türkiye after the disaster, the Directorate of Communications reported.
