A devastating fire swept through the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Turkish ski resort of Kartalkaya, resulting in a tragic loss of 66 lives and injuring at least 51 others, according to Turkey's Interior Minister, Ali Yerlikaya. The 12-story hotel, located in Bolu province, became engulfed in flames around 3:30 a.m., originating in the hotel's restaurant. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Among the casualties, two individuals perished after jumping from the building in a desperate attempt to escape the inferno. Reports indicate that others tried to climb down the building's exterior using bedsheets and blankets. At the time of the fire, the hotel housed 234 guests.

Necmi Kepcetutan, a ski instructor at the hotel, recounted his harrowing escape and subsequent efforts to assist approximately 20 guests in evacuating the smoke-filled building. He expressed concern for his students, whom he was unable to reach during the chaos. Guests reported that the hotel's fire detection system malfunctioned, hindering their ability to escape promptly. Atakan Yelkovan, a guest on the third floor, stated that he and his wife smelled smoke, but the alarm did not sound. He described a frantic scene with people screaming from the upper floors and attempting to escape by any means possible. It was reported that firefighting teams took approximately an hour to arrive at the scene.

The government has launched an investigation, appointing six prosecutors to determine the cause of the tragedy. Initial reports suggest that the wooden cladding on the hotel's exterior may have contributed to the rapid spread of the fire. The hotel's location on a cliffside also hampered firefighting efforts. Images from the scene depict a severely damaged lobby, with shattered windows, charred furniture, and a fallen chandelier. The incident occurred during a school holiday period, when hotels in the region are typically at full capacity.

As a precautionary measure, other hotels in the Kartalkaya resort were evacuated, with guests relocated to accommodations in the surrounding Bolu area. In a separate incident, a gas explosion at another ski resort in central Turkey resulted in injuries to four people.