Trial Begins for 32 Defendants Over Deadly Grand Kartal Hotel Fire That Killed 78

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire in a hotel at a ski resort of Kartalkaya, located in Bolu province, in northwest Turkey, Jan. 21, 2025.

A total of 32 defendants appeared in court Monday as the trial opened for the deadly fire that ravaged the Grand Kartal Hotel at the Kartalkaya ski resort in Bolu province, Turkey, killing 78 people and injuring 133 others. The fire broke out on January 21 during the winter school break, trapping dozens of families and children on vacation.

The 12-story hotel fire prompted guests and staff to jump from windows or lower themselves using sheets amid smoke-filled corridors. The tragedy ignited nationwide outrage over alleged negligence and violations of fire safety regulations.

Thirteen defendants face charges of killing or wounding with possible intent, carrying potential prison sentences of up to 1,998 years each, according to an indictment from the Bolu Public Prosecutor’s Office. The remaining 19 are charged with causing death or injury through negligence, with possible sentences up to 22½ years.

The trial, involving 210 plaintiffs and 32 defendants, is being held in a sports center converted into a 700-seat courtroom in Bolu to accommodate the high-profile case.

Outside the venue, relatives of victims protested, holding posters of loved ones and demanding justice. Zeynep Kotan, mother of 17-year-old victim Omur Kotan, said, “This is not neglect, it is murder.”

According to the indictment, the fire began at 3:17 a.m. local time when an electric grill plate sparked a garbage bin in the hotel’s fourth-floor kitchen. The blaze then melted a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) hose, igniting the gas and spreading rapidly.

Hotel staff noticed the fire at 3:24 a.m. and called emergency services, but the fire had already become uncontrollable within two minutes. The wooden ceiling and airflow from a door left open by kitchen staff accelerated the flames.

The report highlights serious safety failures, including inadequate stairways and elevator protections, absence of a smoke extraction system, and lack of emergency alarms. Faulty fire detection systems and insufficient staff training delayed alerting the hotel’s 238 guests.

Escape routes were poorly maintained without sprinklers, emergency lighting, or proper fire escape signage, turning stairwells into smoke-filled chimneys that trapped guests.

Legal responsibility is largely attributed to hotel owner Halit Ergul, company board members including his wife and daughters, and hotel managers. Bolu’s deputy mayor and deputy fire chief also face the most severe charges. Lesser charges target hotel staff, government inspectors, and maintenance workers.

The hotel, in operation since 1999 and managed by Ergul’s company since 2007, had its last official fire safety inspection by the Culture and Tourism Ministry five weeks before the fire. Ergul stated the hotel was inspected every two years to maintain its tourism certificate, which was valid until March.

The 14-day trial will examine the extent of negligence and possible criminal intent behind one of Turkey’s deadliest hotel fires.