First moments of the fire at Grand Kartal Hotel revealed

Security camera footage of the first moments of the fire that broke out on the night of January 21 at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya, one of Bolu's major winter tourism centers, and resulted in the deaths of 78 people, has emerged. It was observed that at the time of the fire, the kitchen staff did not intervene with the fire extinguisher located in the kitchen, but instead left the area upon seeing the smoke.

In the investigation launched by the Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor's Office following the fire, 41 suspects have been detained so far. While 28 suspects were arrested, 9 were later released. The detention of 19 people continues, including hotel owner Halit Ergül, his wife and board member Emine Murtezaoğlu Ergül, their daughters Elif Aras and Ceyda Hacıbekiroğlu, the hotel's general manager Emir Aras, Provincial Special Administration Secretary General Sırrı Köstereli, Fire Department Chief Kenan Coşkun, and Bolu Deputy Mayor Sedat Gülener.

The 189-page report prepared by a panel of expert witnesses stated that the fire originated from a "grill plate" device used in the "show" section of the restaurant located on the 4th floor of the hotel. It was noted that a cleaning agent containing solvent inside the device melted due to overheating, mixed with oils, flowed to the floor, and subsequently reached a trash can, igniting and causing the fire to grow.

"IT CONTINUED FOR APPROXIMATELY 6 MINUTES AT A CONTROLLABLE SIZE"

Regarding the moments the fire started, the expert report stated: "The thermostat that provides temperature control via the adjustment knob on the Grill Plate reached the set value (300 degrees surface-defined reachable surface temperature and naturally much higher resistance wire temperature), and because one of the thermostats was faulty, it did not activate against overheating and continued to operate in a state of uncontrolled heating. Due to the overheating, the oil in the collection container began to overheat and evaporate. In the camera footage, it is clearly seen that the oil vapor ignited in the inner chamber with a small flash between the support stand and the wooden decoration. The combustion, originating from the oil reservoir, continued for approximately 6 minutes at a controllable size."

Security deficiencies

The expert report also drew attention to serious security deficiencies in the area where the fire started. It was stated that there was no automatic extinguishing system in the hoods in the show section of the restaurant, no smoke or heat detectors on the ceiling, and no fire extinguisher in a visible area. It was noted that there was only one extinguisher on the left column, but no staff member remembered this extinguisher.

THE FIRST MOMENT OF THE FIRE ON CAMERA

In the footage reflected on the security cameras of the Grand Kartal Hotel, where the tragedy occurred, it was seen that the grill device caught fire, the entire restaurant was covered in smoke in a short time, and the flames reached the kitchen section.

The recordings also included the moments when the staff left the area in a panic without intervening in the fire with the fire extinguisher located on the floor in the kitchen.

News Source : 12punto