Fire department report on hotel fire in Bolu that claimed 78 lives revealed

The incident scene fire report prepared by the Bolu Municipality Fire Department regarding the fire that broke out at 03:30 on Tuesday, January 21, at the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Kartalkaya Ski Center, which resulted in the deaths of 78 people, has been revealed.

The report states that the first notification was received at 03:30, and after fire crews set out with 11 vehicles and 30 personnel, they traveled 42 kilometers and reached the scene at 04:24. The report, which notes that 500 tons of water were used in the extinguishing efforts, includes the following statements regarding the cause of the fire and the events that took place:

"Based on the statements of the hotel staff and eyewitnesses who carried out the initial intervention, as well as our own examinations, it has been determined that the fire started in the kitchen/restaurant section located on the 4th floor. In enclosed space fires, before factors such as window breakage or door opening that provide air support occur, the spread rate of heat, hot smoke, and flames is generally low due to the burning of easily flammable materials such as wood and plastic that constitute the fire load.

For these reasons, the fire causes very high heat and destruction. The starting point of the fire is clearly understood in line with the findings made.

Furthermore, it is inevitable that heat, smoke, and flames move upwards due to the laws of physics. In line with these indicators, it is understood that the 3rd floor was not the starting point of the fire, but was only exposed to the spread, and therefore suffered less damage.

Due to the extensive damage to the hotel building and the lack of any evidence indicating intent, it is recommended that the cause of the fire be evaluated by an expert."

"MORE THAN 50 CITIZENS RESCUED FROM WINDOWS"

The report, which states that more than 50 people were rescued from the hotel windows using a ladder truck and 1 person was rescued with a jump mat, says, "When the scene was reached, it was seen that the Grand Kartal Hotel was burning with flames.

The fire was extinguished by us. More than 50 citizens were evacuated from the front facade of the hotel by taking them from the windows of the rooms they were in using a ladder truck.

Since the entry of the ladder truck and fire engine to the rear facade of the building was not possible due to the snowy road and loose ground, 1 citizen was rescued and evacuated using a jump mat.

Search and rescue operations were started on all floors, beginning from the lobby area of the building, and citizens who lost their lives in the rooms on each floor, in stair landings, and in intermediate halls were identified and evacuated by us. The entire hotel building became unusable in the fire.

An official letter was sent to the Bolu Provincial Health Directorate regarding the number of dead and injured, but no response has been received. Information from national and local media was taken as a basis and entered into the relevant section of the form.

The evacuation of the citizens who lost their lives and the injured was carried out together with the fire crews who came to support the fire, AFAD personnel, Gendarmerie Search and Rescue (JAK) teams, UMKE teams, and NGOs. The fire was cooled down by us, and after the necessary checks were made, the scene was left to the gendarmerie teams and the gendarmerie crime scene investigation teams, and we returned to the center. 2 vehicles and 4 personnel were left at the scene for security purposes. Report number 64/1 was issued as a continuation of the report," the statements read.

News Source: İHA