Chain of negligence in Kartalkaya fire: Deficiencies led to the death of 78 people

78 people lost their lives in a fire that broke out on Tuesday night at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Bolu Kartalkaya Ski Center. The investigation into the fire tragedy is ongoing.

"HEAVILY DAMAGED" REPORT FOR THE BUILDING

The inspection conducted by teams from the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change regarding the building, which became unusable after the fire, has concluded. The preliminary damage assessment report prepared for the hotel building, which was rendered unusable by the fire in Bolu Kartalkaya, stated that the building is "heavily damaged." A final report will be prepared as a result of the detailed damage assessment work carried out by the teams. In line with this report, a decision will be made on whether to carry out reinforcement work on the hotel building or to demolish it completely.

BUILDING SEALED

Following the fire, gendarmerie teams took extensive security measures in the area. A security cordon was placed around the hotel, and the building was temporarily sealed.

CHAIN OF NEGLIGENCE

Negligence regarding the fire disaster, in which 78 people lost their lives, continues to emerge day by day. According to the report in Hürriyet, inspections determined that there was no sprinkler system in the hotel; if there had been, the system would have activated instantly with the fire, and the fire would have been extinguished where it started.

DOORS NOT UP TO STANDARD

The interior corridor doors in the hotel, which should have been fire-resistant, were not built according to standards. If the doors had been up to standard, the fire would have been contained to only one floor, and the evacuation of those remaining would have been easier.

ALARM NOT WORKING

It was also revealed that the heat-sensitive fire alarm was not working and did not activate automatically. It was determined that smoke sensors were also not working, and in some floors, they had been deactivated. Because the fire alarm and smoke sensors were not working, most people were caught in the fire while they were asleep. If the fire alarm and smoke sensors had been working, people would not have been caught in the fire while sleeping. Because the alarm did not work, most people were caught in the fire while sleeping in their rooms and lost their lives.

FIRE ESCAPE LOCATED INSIDE THE HOTEL

There were two fire escapes in the hotel. However, both were located inside the hotel. In the fire that broke out, the flames also engulfed the sections where the non-standard fire escapes were located. Because there were no fire-resistant and special fire doors, no one could reach the fire escapes. Furthermore, the automatic doors did not work after the fire. The hotel also lacked an emergency, evacuation, and fire response plan, as well as at least two emergency exit areas that should have been on every floor.