29.01.2025 15:10
Rıfat Doğan, who lost his wife and daughter in the hotel fire in Bolu, lamented, "Despite the hotel owner and his family being on the 12th floor, they were informed in time and escaped without a scratch. My wife and daughter, however, were trapped on the 7th floor."
In the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu, 78 of our citizens lost their lives in a fire. Rıfat Doğan, who lost his wife Ceren Yaman Doğan and daughter Lalin Doğan in the hotel fire, spoke to Habertürk. Recalling the events of the night of the fire, Doğan said, "We were saying let's go out once instead of several times in winter. Our daughter really wanted to go. I dropped them off at the hotel, we arranged the skiing equipment. I handed my daughter over to her instructor, kissed my wife, and sent them off."
"WE DIDN'T THINK IT COULD MAKE A MISTAKE"
Doğan, who received his daughter's last message saying, "Good night, Daddy, I'm going to bed, I kissed you," stated, "There were fire alarms and emergency exit signs, but none of them were working. We didn't think that such a hotel could make such a big mistake."
"THEY WERE ABLE TO ESCAPE FROM THE 12TH FLOOR"
Pointing out the inadequacy of safety measures during the fire, Doğan said, "Despite being on the 12th floor, the owner of the hotel and his family were informed in time and escaped without even a scratch. My wife and daughter were trapped on the 7th floor."
"I WILL FOLLOW THIS CASE TO THE END"
Experiencing deep sorrow from losing his wife and daughter, Rıfat Doğan said, "I will now hold on to my extended family, friends, and work, but I will also follow this case to the end. I will seek justice as much as I can."
THE SON-IN-LAW HAD REVEALED HE WAS CALLED ON THE PHONE
Emir Aras, the General Manager of the Grand Kartal Hotel, who was arrested in connection with the fire disaster, stated, "My phone rang at night, and I was told there was a fire. I opened the door, and my phone rang again. The floor manager was calling and said there was a fire, and it started in the restaurant area. I went down the stairs and went outside. I couldn't press the alarm buttons because the fire was very intense. At that moment, I couldn't think of anything. I do not accept the accusations."