Lawyer claims there was no water in the fire truck during the hotel fire in Uludağ that killed 3 people

26.04.2026 14:51

While the trial continues regarding the fire that broke out in a hotel in Bursa's Uludağ region, which was closed due to deficiencies found during inspections and caused the deaths of Turkish Ski and Snowboard Instructors Association President, former national skier Yahya Üsta (57), his son, national skier Berkin Üsta (25), and his wife Fikriye Üsta (57), the family's lawyer, İsmail Eray Çokal, claimed that the fire truck that responded to the fire had no water.

In inspections conducted in Uludağ, Turkey's first ski resort, a fire broke out at the Kervansaray Hotel in the 1st Region, which was closed due to 38 deficiencies detected in 'architectural', 'fire installation' and 'fire detection' systems, on March 27, 2025, around 05:00. While fire department and AFAD teams in Uludağ responded to the fire, reinforcement teams were also dispatched from Bursa. The flames engulfing the building were extinguished, and 9 people affected by smoke were evacuated. The president of the Turkey Ski and Snowboard Instructors Association, former national skier Yahya Üsta, and his son, national skier Berkin Üsta, lost their lives, while his wife Fikriye Üsta was injured. Fikriye Üsta also died in the hospital where she was being treated, 6 days later.

MOMENT OF FIRE CAUGHT ON CAMERA

The moment the fire started was captured on the hotel's security camera. It was determined that the fire started when embers, placed in a cardboard box after a barbecue in the fireplace, ignited and spread to an artificial tree nearby. In the investigation led by the deputy chief public prosecutor and two prosecutors, 5 suspects, including the business owner, the business manager, and a ski room employee, along with the hotel's property owner, were detained. After legal proceedings, the owner of the company operating the hotel, Cevdet Kadir A., the hotel manager Tekin D., and ski center employees Eren T. (24) and Mert Kaan Ç. (23) were arrested on charges of 'causing death and injury by negligence,' while 2 individuals were released under judicial control.

'NO GROUNDS FOR PROSECUTION'

In the expert report, the company 'FB Usta Company,' owned by the deceased Yahya Üsta, was identified as primarily at fault on the grounds that it was the tenant of the café section where the fire broke out, while Jura Hotel Management, the hotel operator, was designated as secondarily at fault. In the indictment prepared at the end of the investigation conducted by the Bursa Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, it was decided that there were no grounds for prosecution on charges of 'causing death and injury by negligence' for Tekin K., an employee of Yahya Üsta's company FB Usta; Mert Kaan Ç. and Eren T., who were released after a period of detention; Zeynep T., an official from Kervansaray Yatırım Holding A.Ş.; hotel floor attendants Mehmet Faruk Ç. and Ahmet İ.; and Rafet Alpan Y., the official of the company operating the hotel's bar and kitchen.

UP TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON REQUESTED

It was determined that Cevdet Kadir A., owner of Jura Hotel Management at the time of the incident, and hotel manager Tekin D., by failing to rectify the deficiencies identified in inspections and take precautions, acted contrary to their objective duty of care in a way that would have prevented the occurrence of the foreseeable yet unintended result, thereby causing the deaths of Berkin, Fikriye, and Yahya Kemal Üsta during the fire. Consequently, they were requested to be sentenced to 2 to 15 years in prison for the crime of 'causing the death of multiple persons by conscious negligence.'

FIRST HEARING LASTED 7 HOURS

The first hearing of the trial against Cevdet Kadir A. and Tekin D. was held at the Bursa 20th Heavy Penal Court. The hearing, from which press members were excluded due to the small size of the courtroom, was attended by the detained defendants, as well as lawyers for the parties and witnesses. At the end of the hearing lasting approximately 7 hours, the panel decided to release the detained defendants, hotel owner Cevdet Kadir A. and hotel manager Tekin D., under 'house arrest' and a 'travel ban.'

'WHILE WAITING FOR FIREFIGHTERS FROM THE CITY CENTER, THE FIRE INTENSIFIES AND GROWS'

The second hearing held at the Bursa 20th Heavy Penal Court was attended by the unarrested defendants, relatives of the Üsta family, and lawyers for the parties. After hearing the parties, the court panel adjourned the hearing to conduct a site inspection.

Speaking to a DHA reporter after the hearing, İsmail Eray Çokal, the lawyer for the relatives of the Üsta family, claimed that the fire truck that arrived to respond to the fire after the alarm had no water. Stating that the police statements of eyewitnesses were also included in the expert report, Çokal claimed that a fire brigade team from the Bursa city center was awaited for 45 minutes, saying, 'This fire was very small at first. The fire brigade team in the Uludağ region arrives to intervene. But the fire truck has no water. Meanwhile, the fire is very small and manageable. However, they waited for firefighters from the city center. By the time they arrived, the fire had intensified and grown. During this time, they didn't let anyone near the fire. Eyewitnesses to the fire also say in their statements that the fire truck had no water. The deceased did not die from the fire but from smoke inhalation.'

'ONE FIRE TRUCK RAN OUT OF WATER IMMEDIATELY, THE OTHER'S HOSE WAS TOO SHORT'

Eyewitness S. Y., referred to by lawyer Çokal, stated in his police statement that one of the two fire trucks that arrived to respond to the fire ran out of water immediately, while the other truck's hose was too short. Noting that the flames were very small at first and that the fire engulfed the entire hotel while waiting for reinforcement firefighting teams from the city center 45 minutes away, S. Y. said in his statement:

'When I looked at that hotel from my room window, I saw a small flame coming out of the corner of the hotel on the slope side. I immediately went to the non-burning side of the hotel. At that moment, two fire trucks had arrived. One of these trucks ran out of water immediately and went back to refill from a hydrant. The other could not fully intervene because its hose was too short. I called the deceased Yahya Üsta. He did not answer his phone. Immediately after, I called the hotel manager Tekin Demir. He told me he was on his way, that he had spoken to Yahya Üsta, and that Yahya was alive. Firefighters entered and started checking the rooms. I saw some hotel staff coming out. Since there were no guests in the hotel, thank God we didn't have a greater loss. Within this period, about 50 minutes after I saw the incident, reinforcement firefighting teams from Bursa started to arrive. The teams that entered the building first brought out Yahya. He was alive at that time and they were performing CPR. Then they brought out his son Berkin Üsta. Berkin had died from smoke inhalation.'