Prosecutors are seeking lengthy prison terms for 32 suspects over a devastating fire that tore through a luxury ski resort hotel in northern Türkiye, killing 78 people, according to media reports citing an indictment released Saturday.
The blaze engulfed the Grand Kartal Hotel in the early hours of Jan. 21 at the Kartalkaya ski resort, with survivor testimonies and expert analysis revealing widespread safety lapses.
According to the indictment, prosecutors in Bolu are pushing for up to 1,998 years in prison for 13 key defendants – including the hotel’s owner, top executives, Bolu’s deputy mayor, the deputy fire chief and a firefighter – on 78 counts of killing with possible intent.
They are also seeking prison terms of up to 22 years and six months for another 19 individuals, including members of the hotel's technical and kitchen staff, as well as several external maintenance experts, on charges of causing death and injuries through conscious negligence.
The indictment said the fire started at 3:17 a.m. when a faulty electric grill plate in the fourth-floor kitchen overheated and ignited the kitchen’s gas supply hose. The resulting fire had, by 3:26 a.m., "exceeded controllable limits."
The intense heat caused varnished chipboard and wood to emit gas, producing thick smoke that "rose rapidly to the upper floors, causing the corridors to be filled with toxic smoke and flammable gases."
The fire also spread to the wooden cladding on the exterior of the building, causing flames to climb up the facade.
Investigators found there was "no audible warning" system, and the hotel's "emergency action plan was inadequate," with staff described as "inexperienced and untrained." The indictment noted that the fire intensified when staff "caused the fire to accelerate by opening the main doors of the car park."
The blaze struck at the height of the winter holiday season, with 238 guests staying at the hotel for school break.
Panic spread quickly, with many guests attempting to escape through windows using bedsheets as makeshift ropes.
Some reportedly fell to their deaths.
Many survivors told the same story: There were no alarms, no fire doors and no safe exit routes from the hotel.
