Fire at a 5-star hotel in Antalya: 48 people trapped

The fire occurred around 16:00 on October 18 at a 5-star hotel located in the Beldibi neighborhood of Antalya's Kemer district. The fire, which reportedly started in the hotel's restaurant area, grew quickly, and smoke affected a large part of the hotel.

Upon notification, numerous fire department, vacuum truck, gendarmerie, UMKE, AFAD, police, and municipal teams were dispatched to the scene. The majority of the 550 guests staying at the hotel, who noticed the smoke, panicked and exited the hotel in the first moments of the fire. Hotel staff took precautions with mattresses to ensure that those trapped on balconies would not face any negative consequences.

THOSE TRAPPED ON BALCONIES RESCUED BY CRANES

As smoke affected a large part of the hotel due to the flames growing in a short time, teams mobilized to evacuate guests who could not leave their rooms. Because fire trucks could not enter the rear side of the hotel, work was carried out with construction machinery to allow the vehicles to pass. After half an hour of work, hotel guests trapped on balconies were rescued with the help of cranes that entered through the opened path. Foreign tourists taken from the balconies were taken to the hospital by ambulances after receiving initial intervention from medical teams.

NO LOSS OF LIFE

After about 2 hours of work, the fire was extinguished and cooling efforts were carried out. Kemer Mayor Necati Topaloğlu, who arrived at the region, said, "On one hand, the fire department, and on the other, the teams affiliated with the Kemer Municipality completely evacuated the hotel. Our greatest joy is that there was no loss of life. I hope we do not experience such events again." Kemer District Governor Ahmet Solmaz, who conducted inspections at the scene, stated that work regarding the cause of the fire is ongoing and that 8 guests staying at the hotel were affected by smoke and taken to the hospital for check-ups.

CAUSE OF THE FIRE IS BEING INVESTIGATED

Solmaz said, "A fire broke out for a reason we cannot fully determine at the moment. We started our efforts with all our team members to quickly evacuate our guests who came for a vacation. In the hotel where 550 guests were staying, 270 evacuated themselves when they noticed the fire. Since the vast majority of the rest were outside the hotel, we did not have a problematic situation. A total of 48 people in their rooms, whom we intervened as teams, were evacuated by municipal, AFAD, and Gendarmerie teams. Currently, there is no problem regarding the general vital status of our guests."

48 GUESTS RESCUED

Emphasizing that 8 guests affected by smoke were referred to the hospital for check-ups, Kemer District Governor Ahmet Solmaz said, "8 of our guests were referred to the hospital for check-ups because they were affected by smoke. And their conditions are all quite good. There has been a serious wind circulation in the region for the last 2-3 days. In this respect, even a small flame can cause a fire. Thank God, although the containment process was delayed, we got through the event without any of our guests experiencing any trouble. Evacuation procedures have been completed, and teams are working on the cause of the fire. The cause will be determined after the work. Guests will primarily be transferred to another hotel belonging to the hotel owner. Planning is also being done for the remaining guests. We have a plan that will not victimize anyone. Our priority was that no loss of life occurred."

News Source : 12punto