Cause of fire at ski resort hotel in Türkiye revealed

The fire that claimed 78 lives at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Türkiye's Bolu province allegedly started in the kitchen. Kitchen staff left the grill on for an extended period, and when hot oil spilled onto it, the fire began.

Report informs via the Sabah newspaper that the fire started at 03:21. Investigators revealed that the cook and several staff members attempted to extinguish the fire with water instead of a fire extinguisher, which caused the fire to intensify.

"The fire spread through the exhaust vent, which hadn't been cleaned for a long time, entered the chimney, and quickly reached the hotel roof," the publication reports. The newspaper claims that kitchen staff panicked and fled the hotel, while guests couldn't be alerted to the fire in time due to a non-functioning fire alarm system.

One of the cooks reported that they tried to extinguish the fire themselves for about 40 minutes and didn't see any fire extinguishers. According to him, kitchen staff saved several people who jumped from hotel windows by placing mattresses below.

An emergency and occupational safety expert earlier stated that access to fire escapes in the hotel was blocked, and the mandatory fire suppression system for such buildings was missing, which contributed to the increased number of casualties.

A total of 18 people have been arrested in connection with the fire.