New details continue to emerge in the Bolu hotel tragedy: 'We will put it out ourselves, don't tell anyone' instruction allegedly given

In the fire that broke out at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya, Bolu, on January 21, 78 people lost their lives. Following the incident, hotel owner Halit Ergül, general manager Emir Aras, hotel manager Zeki Yılmaz, and 16 other employees were arrested as part of the ongoing investigation. Details regarding the fire have begun to emerge through the testimonies provided by the staff.

Tuni Burhan, one of the hotel employees, recounted his experiences and the negligence at the hotel to CNN Türk. Burhan's statements shed light on the decisions that caused the disaster to escalate.

"'DON'T TELL ANYONE' INSTRUCTION GIVEN

Describing what he experienced on the night of the fire, Burhan said, "A cook working in the kitchen in the adjacent room knocked on our door and woke us up, saying, 'There is a small fire, don't panic, but evacuate the room immediately.' We left in a rush and I saw flames coming out of the kitchen windows violently. The fire was beyond control."

Stating that according to conversations among the staff, the fire started when hot oil in the kitchen caught fire, Burhan noted that the chimney cleaning had not been performed and that frozen grease fueled the fire, adding, "They tried to extinguish the hot oil with water, which only made the fire grow larger."

Sharing a more striking detail, Burhan said, "An instruction came to the hotel manager. The manager said, 'Wake up the staff, don't tell anyone, we will extinguish this among ourselves. Send some of the staff to the parking lot.' It is alleged that hotel owner Halit Ergül gave these instructions. Things always worked this way at this hotel. Problems were always tried to be handled without informing anyone," he said, describing the events.

"THE HOTEL WAS LEFT TO FATE"

Burhan stated that the negligence at the Grand Kartal Hotel continued even before the fire, saying, "The hotel was being operated in a way that was left to fate. During an inspection on December 12, a red tag meaning 'dangerous and prohibited for use' was placed on the elevator used by the staff. But we continued to use this elevator from that date on. Gas leaks and pipe bursts were frequent. Among the staff, there were jokes about 'whether we can finish this season safely'."

19 PEOPLE ARRESTED

As part of the investigation conducted by the Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, a total of 19 people, including hotel owner Halit Ergül, general manager Emir Aras, hotel manager Zeki Yılmaz, accounting manager Kadir Özdemir, cook Faysal Yaver, electrician Hüseyin Özer, and other employees, have been arrested. The investigation continues as new details regarding the negligence at the hotel and the scale of that negligence emerge.

While this major tragedy, in which 78 people lost their lives, draws attention due to a chain of negligence, allegations that authorities were late in responding to the fire are also being investigated.