01.05.2025 13:01
The security camera footage from the moment the fire broke out at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya, Bolu, where 78 people lost their lives, has emerged. The video shows the moment the "Grill plate" device caught fire, followed by smoke quickly filling the restaurant and flames reaching the kitchen area, causing the staff to flee in panic.
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In the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Kartalkaya ski resort, 78 people lost their lives in a fire that broke out on the night of January 21. As part of the investigation launched after the fire, 41 suspects were detained. While 28 suspects were arrested, 9 were released in the subsequent process.
Among those whose detention continues are 19 individuals, 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 and Ergül's son-in-law Emir Aras, Provincial Special Administration Secretary Sırrı Köstereli, Fire Chief Kenan Coşkun, and Bolu Deputy Mayor Sedat Gülener.
THE FIRE STARTED IN THE DEVICE USED FOR FRYING BREAKFAST ITEMS While a large-scale investigation initiated by the Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor's Office continues, an expert committee has prepared a 189-page report following their examinations. The report states that the fire originated from the 'grill plate' device located in the 'show' section of the restaurant on the 4th floor of the hotel, where breakfast items are fried. It was noted that "The industrial cleaning agent containing solvent D9, which was inside the grill table, melted due to the burning oil flowing from the collection container. This melting allowed the fluid D9 material to flow mixed with oil on the ground. The mixture that reached the trash bin spread and ignited the trash bin as well. The ignition of the trash bin and its contents further intensified the fire. As the fire reached the trash area, the amount of gases produced exceeded the capacity of the natural draft hood, causing smoke to rise and spread into the restaurant. The flexible LPG hose next to the trash bin also melted, leading to uncontrolled butane-propane mixture fuel entering the area, causing the flames to grow rapidly and the fire to reach a size that could not be extinguished by individual intervention."
CHAIN OF NEGLIGENCE AT THE FIRE STARTING AREA Additionally, the report reflected that there were no necessary precautions against fire and fire extinguishing systems at the point where the fire started. The report stated, "There is no automatic fire extinguishing system in the hood. There are no smoke and/or heat sensors on the ceiling. There is no automatic extinguishing system (sprinkler), smoke, and/or heat detector in the restaurant area. There are no fire extinguishers in visible areas of the show area, and there is only one extinguisher located at the bottom of the left column inside. There is a fire extinguisher in the show area, but no staff member remembers it in their statements."
THE THERMOSTAT OF THE DEVICE THAT CAUSED THE FIRE WAS FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE It was also revealed that the thermostat of the grill plate device, which caused the fire due to overheating after being left open, was defective. In the report prepared by the expert committee, it was stated, "The thermostat that controls the temperature with the adjustment button on the plate did not activate despite excessive heating because it reached the set value and one of the thermostats was defective, and it continued to operate in an uncontrolled heating situation."
Security camera footage has emerged showing the initial moments of the fire that started in the show section of the restaurant on the 4th floor of the hotel. The moments when the 'grill plate' device caught fire and the flames quickly spread to the kitchen area, causing the staff to flee in panic, were captured in the security camera recordings.
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