It claimed 78 lives in Kartalkaya! The path of Halit Ergül from 'errand boy' to boss

The fire that broke out at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Bolu Kartalkaya Ski Center, which claimed the lives of 78 people, plunged all of Turkey into mourning. As the investigation into the disaster continues, new details are emerging. It has been revealed that Halit Ergül, identified as the primary person responsible for the disaster at the hotel, once worked in logging, married the daughter of the owner of the hotel where he did 'errand' jobs, became the 'boss,' and did everything with commercial ambition to build his own hotel chain.

HE WAS DOING ERRAND JOBS

According to the report by Musa Kesler from Hürriyet; Halit Ergül was born in the 'Susuzkınık' village in the center of Bolu. He was a modest village boy with two older sisters. After primary and middle school, he began commuting to Bolu for high school. Like many villagers, he worked in logging during the summer months. Meanwhile, in 1978, Mazhar Murtezaoğlu from Rize built his first hotel in Kartalkaya, named 'Kartal'.

Local villagers also worked at the hotel. After finishing high school, Ergül began working at this hotel, located 15 kilometers from his village, in the early 1980s when he was 16-17 years old. He was in the accounting department. According to those who remember that period, he was doing 'errand' jobs. He did not go to university.

HE MARRIED HIS BOSS'S DAUGHTER

It was during this period that he met Emine Murtezaoğlu, the daughter of the hotel owner, Mazhar Murtezaoğlu. Their acquaintance turned into a romantic relationship after a while. Then, they went to ask for Emine Murtezaoğlu's hand in marriage.

The father, Mazhar Murtezaoğlu, was initially against this situation. Over time, he softened and consented to the marriage. They married in 1987. Halit Ergül had become the son-in-law of the hotel where he had started as an employee. His brother-in-law, Harun Murtezaoğlu, had been educated in England and was fond of the piano and books.

He had no commercial ambitions. Halit Ergül, on the other hand, was sharp and enterprising. It did not take long for him to win the favor of his dominant father-in-law. After a while, he became his father-in-law's 'right-hand man.' He was always by his side and close to him. Meanwhile, when his father died, he sold their house in the village.

THEY EXPANDED THE BUSINESS

Business was going well at the Kartal Hotel. Mazhar Murtezaoğlu built his second hotel, several times larger than the first, right next to it. He named it 'Grand Kartal.' This hotel also received a lot of attention. Its regulars were there every season. By 2004, the father-boss Mazhar Murtezaoğlu handed over his two hotels to his two children. He left the Grand Kartal to his daughter, Emine, and the first hotel, the Kartal, to his son, Harun.

Now there were two separate companies and two separate hotels. Halit Ergül had become the boss of the hotel where he had started in accounting years ago. After this split, his relationship with his brother-in-law, Harun, soured. It never improved again.

HIS PATH WAS CLEARED WHEN HIS FATHER-IN-LAW FELL ILL

In 2007, with Mazhar Murtezaoğlu withdrawing from all business due to Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, Halit Ergül's path was cleared even further. The friction and tension between Ergül and his brother-in-law always continued. This was a situation that went beyond the competition between the two side-by-side hotels, the 'Grand Kartal' and the 'Kartal Hotel.' Lawsuits and complaints continued.

This tension also prevented joint decisions from being made regarding the region. It is alleged that Ergül also wanted to buy the Kartal Hotel and was applying pressure for this. Ergül, whose business was going well at the Grand Kartal, built another new hotel called 'Gazelle.' He put his son-in-law, Emir Aras, in charge of this place.