11.09.2025 19:50
In the fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel, which claimed the lives of 78 people, it has been revealed that the hotel manager, Zeki Yılmaz, called the hotel authorities before the guests, informing them, "Please evacuate immediately. Please evacuate, there is a fire."
While the trial regarding the fire disaster in Kartalkaya, Bolu, where 78 people lost their lives and 133 were injured, continues; it has emerged that Zeki Yılmaz, the manager of Grand Kartal Hotel, called hotel officials before the customers, informing them, "Please evacuate immediately, a fire has broken out."
As the trial regarding the Grand Kartal Hotel fire in Bolu Kartalkaya, which resulted in the death of 78 people and injuries to 133 others, continues; reports have been submitted to the case file indicating that the Bolu Provincial Police Department's Cyber Crimes Unit conducted phone examinations of the defendants.
SAFETY GROUP ESTABLISHED 3 DAYS AFTER THE FIRE
It was revealed that Ahmet Demir, the general manager of Gazelle Hotel, one of the detained defendants, established a WhatsApp group named 'Emergency Situations for Occupational Safety' three days after the hotel fire, and that communications in this group only took place on January 24, 2025. Additionally, it was included in the case file that Halit Ergül's detained daughter, Ceyda Hacıbekiroğlu, who is also the owner of the hotel, gave instructions to hotel employees after the fire incident in the WhatsApp group.
NOTABLE DETAILS EMERGED
In their defenses in court, Hacıbekiroğlu, who claimed to have no authority regarding the hotel and is also a member of the hotel's board of directors, was found to have given directives to technical personnel regarding the hotel's elevators in the WhatsApp group. Reports prepared by the Bolu Provincial Police Department's Cyber Crimes Unit revealed that hotel manager Zeki Yılmaz informed hotel officials before the customers, as evidenced by phone records.
HOTEL MANAGER TOLD OFFICIALS TO 'EVACUATE' FIRST
In Zeki Yılmaz's phone records, it was noted that he had a 14.6-second conversation with hotel officials at 03:30 on the night of January 21, during which he said, "Please evacuate immediately, a fire has broken out. It's coming from the restaurant. Please, please," which was also included in the case file.
The records are as follows:
UP TO 1998 YEARS OF IMPRISONMENT SOUGHT UNTIL 1998
In the indictment prepared by the Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor's Office as part of the investigation initiated after the fire, a total of up to 1998 years of imprisonment is sought for hotel owners, board members, and managers Halit Ergül, Emine Murtezaoğlu Ergül, Ceyda Hacıbekiroğlu, Elif Aras, Emir Aras, Zeki Yılmaz, Ahmet Demir, Kadir Özdemir, Cemal Özer, Mehmet Salun, as well as Bolu Deputy Mayor Sedat Gülener, Acting Fire Chief Kenan Coşkun, and Firefighter İrfan Acar, for the crimes of 'manslaughter with probable intent' and 'injury with probable intent' 78 times each.