Second confession in Bolu hotel fire that became a grave for 78 people: The fire was an accident waiting to happen

As the investigation into the Grand Kartal Hotel fire in Bolu, which claimed the lives of 78 people, continues, the testimonies of the detained and arrested hotel executives continue to emerge.

It has been revealed that, in addition to the Grand Kartal Hotel, the Gazelle Resort & Spa Hotel, operated by the same company, also lacked a fire safety compliance report.

CONFESSION FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER

Gazelle Hotel General Manager Ahmet Demir stated in his testimony, "I know that the Gazelle Hotel does not have a fire safety compliance report. Inspections have been conducted since 2023 by firms accredited by the Ministry of Tourism, but these firms did not report any deficiencies." Demir also stated that no fire drill was conducted at the hotel in 2025, and that the last drill was held in 2023 or 2024.

Demir noted that he met with Bolu Deputy Mayor Sedat Gülener to expedite the paperwork process for the Grand Kartal Hotel, stating, "I asked if we could speed up the paperwork process. He said, 'Let's look into the matter, I will help.'"

INSPECTION SCANDAL COMES TO LIGHT ONCE AGAIN

Kadir Özdemir, the accounting manager of the Grand Kartal Hotel, said that experts from the Bolu Municipality Fire Department identified serious deficiencies at the hotel on December 12, 2024, and prepared a negative report. Özdemir stated that after he conveyed this situation to General Manager Ahmet Demir, Demir met with Sedat Gülener and sought to cancel the inspection instead of addressing the deficiencies.

"We prepared the cancellation petition and submitted it to the Bolu Municipality. The inspection was canceled on December 25, 2024," said Özdemir, noting that they resorted to this path because fixing the deficiencies would be costly.

Halit Ergül, the owner of both the Grand Kartal Hotel and the Gazelle Resort & Spa Hotel, stands out as one of the central figures in the incident. It was learned that Ergül took over the Gazelle Resort & Spa Hotel in 2019 following the death of his wife's father, Mazhar Murtezaoğlu.

NEW DETENTIONS CONTINUE IN THE INVESTIGATION

A total of 26 people have been detained as part of the investigation into the fire tragedy. Of these, 19 have been arrested, while 7 were released under judicial control conditions. Following the discovery of similar negligence at the Gazelle Hotel, 13 people were detained.