Turkish court sentences hotel owner and 10 others to life for deadly fire that killed 78

Firefighters and emergency teams work after a fire that broke out at a hotel in the ski resort of Kartalkaya, located in Bolu province, northwest Turkey, on Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

ANKARA, Turkiye — A Turkish court on Friday sentenced the owner of a ski resort hotel and 10 others to life in prison after convicting them of severe negligence in connection with a deadly fire that swept through the property, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

The blaze hit the 12-story Grand Kartal Hotel at the Kartalkaya ski resort in the province of Bolu on Jan. 21 during the winter school break, killing 78 people and injuring 133 others. A total of 34 children taking family vacations were among the victims.

The court convicted hotel owner Halit Ergul, along with his wife, two daughters, hotel managers, a deputy mayor and a deputy fire chief of negligence with “probable intent to kill.” They were each sentenced to life imprisonment for the deaths of the children, and received an additional 25 years in prison for the 44 other fatalities.

The defendants, who have rejected responsibility for the deaths, were expected to appeal the decision. The courtroom broke into applause after the verdicts were read, with families welcoming the sentence, Haberturk news channel reported.

The disaster forced terrified guests and hotel staff to leap from windows or dangle bedsheets to escape rooms engulfed in smoke and flames. It sent shockwaves across Turkey, sparking widespread calls for accountability over negligence and safety violations.

Family members and friends of the victims staged demonstrations outside the courthouse during each hearing, holding up posters of their loved ones and demanding justice.

According to the indictment, the fire began at 3:17 a.m. when a spark from an electric grill ignited a garbage bin and ruptured a liquefied petroleum gas hose, triggering the blaze. Staff noticed the flames seven minutes later, but within two minutes, the fire had spread beyond control. Air from an open door accelerated the flames, which quickly engulfed the wooden ceiling.

Poor safety measures — including lack of smoke extraction, faulty alarms, inadequate staff training and missing sprinkler systems — allowed fumes to fill upper floors. Stairwells and elevator shafts acted like chimneys, and the absence of emergency lighting, signage and alternative exits prevented the safe evacuation of the hotel’s 238 guests, the indictment said.

The hotel first opened in 1999, and has been operated by Ergul’s company since 2007.

Suzan Fraser, The Associated Press