A hotel fire in Turkey’s popular ski resort of Uludağ claimed two lives Thursday morning, marking the second fatal incident this season and reigniting concerns over lax safety standards in the country’s tourism industry, the Stockholm Center for Freedom reported, citing Turkish media.
A fire broke out in the early morning hours at the Kervansaray Hotel in Uludağ, Bursa province, claiming the lives of Olympic skier Berkin Usta and his father, former Olympian Yahya Usta.
The hotel had been ordered to shut down earlier this year for failing to comply with fire regulations, but 12 staff members were still staying there. Journalist Emrullah Erdinç revealed social media posts from the hotel’s account showing that they continued to welcome guests despite having their license revoked.
Orhan Sarıbal, a deputy from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), said in a statement on social media following the fire that the incident clearly indicated that the Ministry of Culture and Tourism needed to be more diligent in hotel inspections.
“This fire once again highlights the importance of inspections. In the Bolu Kartalkaya fire, where 78 lives were lost, expert reports clearly established the responsibility of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Is the ministry now waiting for the same negligence to cause another disaster elsewhere?”
Sarıbal was referring to a devastating hotel fire that occurred on January 21 in the Kartalkaya region of Bolu province. In the aftermath, guests staying at the hotel reported being unable to find fire exits, said the fire alarms never went off, with some being forced to jump from windows to escape the flames.
Despite these shortcomings, it was soon revealed that the hotel had passed all fire inspections and had its license renewed, raising questions about who was responsible for conducting these inspections — the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the municipality or the fire department.
Bolu Mayor Tanju Özcan argued that the hotel was located outside the municipality’s jurisdiction, and thus the responsibility for licensing and inspections rested with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. However, Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said the fire reports had been prepared by the Bolu Municipality’s fire department and were “positive.”
An expert report prepared by a team from Istanbul Technical University (ITU) regarding the fire revealed that all parties were liable in the disaster.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism, which has conducted 13 inspections at the hotel since 2008, “negligently and inadequately carried out all necessary inspections, particularly regarding life and property safety, staff qualifications and training levels. They failed to identify the existing deficiencies,” the expert report said.
Although the hotel is located outside the municipal jurisdiction, the municipality had the authority to conduct fire inspections, which were carried out in 2007 and 2024.
The fire inspection conducted by the Bolu Municipality Fire Department on November 22, 2007 was “inadequate and incomplete,” according to the report.
In an inspection on December 16, 2024, the fire department issued a form that identified eight deficiencies related to the hotel’s fire safety. The expert team reviewing the inspection found that these deficiencies were significant enough to cause the hotel to not meet the necessary safety standards. Ultimately, the fire department’s findings highlighted critical safety issues that were not up to the required regulations or standards for fire safety.
In the conclusion of the expert report, it was stated that the fire was “predictable, preventable with simple measures and that its consequences could have been avoided.” It found the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Bolu Municipality Fire Department, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security and the Bolu Provincial Special Administration primarily responsible.
Halit Ergül, owner of the Grand Kartal Hotel, along with his wife, two daughters and three other suspects, have been arrested in connection with the fire. The victims’ families are demanding full accountability, including penalties for public officials responsible for the lax safety standards.
One of the most harrowing facts of the Kartalkaya disaster was that the nearest fire brigade was located 42 kilometers away. Due to winter conditions, it took over an hour for firefighters to reach the hotel, which contributed to the high death toll. It was later revealed that out of the country’s 16 ski resort regions, only three have fire departments nearby.