03.02.2025 17:18
The AK Party Bolu Provincial Chairman Suat Güner, who lost 8 relatives in the fire disaster in Bolu Kartalkaya, described the day of the incident. Güner stated that the fire broke out earlier than the reported time.
AK Party Bolu Provincial Chairman Suat Güner, who lost his cousin Zehra Sena and her husband Bilal, their children Muhammet Selim, Yusuf Sinanettin, and Bekir Sadık Gültekin, as well as Sümeyye Güner and Bilal Gültekin's siblings Enes and Rümeysa Gültekin in the fire disaster at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu Kartalkaya Ski Resort, described the fire, which he referred to as a "black day."
"HE VIDEO CALLED ME SAYING I DON'T BELIEVE IT"
Güner stated that he set out for Kartalkaya after receiving a phone call from his uncle, and while on the way, his cousin video-called him asking for help. "I woke up around 03:37 with my uncle's phone. I tried to get there very quickly. It didn't take me 5 minutes to leave the house. I hurriedly called Sena, Bilal, Enes, and Rümeysa. I talked to Sena for a long time. I told her, 'Try to get out.' She said, 'There's a lot of smoke coming from the hallway, we can't get out of the room.' I told her to 'open the window.' She said, 'There’s no window, it’s already burning, that side is completely on fire.' She even video-called me saying she couldn't believe it. Sena also video-called her mother, my sister-in-law. You can't see anything, the room is filled with dust and smoke. They had taken shelter in a corner; that’s how we found them. It was very late and very difficult to find them. The pain is indescribable. We talked on the phone for about 15 minutes. We spoke in pieces, 10-11 times with Sena. Our last conversation was at 04:06. I arrived there around 04:20. They were staying in room 1108 on the 11th floor, on the side where the fire spread, that is, the back side. The fire broke out very early," he said.
"NONE OF THEM ANSWERED THE PHONE WHEN I CALLED"
Suat Güner stated that when they reached the area, he called his cousin again but could not reach him, saying, "I forgot the room number and floor even though he told me. I rushed into the hotel, but there was a lot of smoke. There was no fire where we entered the hotel, just smoke. Someone pulled me outside; I tried to go upstairs. You don’t know what to do in a panic... You can’t reach them by phone; it hasn’t even been 10 minutes since our last conversation. When I called, none of them answered the phone," he expressed.
"THEY COULD HAVE BEEN AWAKENED"
Güner expressed that he thought those staying at the hotel might have had enough time to get outside, and continued: "There are negligence, shortcomings, mistakes, things that were not implemented, and things that were not done despite being said, but they could have been awakened. There were also those who tried to wake them up in a panic. They came to me and said, 'We are hotel staff; we tried to wake them up as much as we could.' One member of parliament set off his car alarm to wake people up."
"THE FIRE BROKE OUT EARLIER THAN REPORTED"
Güner stated that it was reported that the fire broke out earlier than the indicated time, and continued: "I don’t know what time it was. I received a photo. I look at that photo and say, 'by conscience.' Yes, we have our pains, but at the time the photo was taken, there was only a fire in the restaurant; the building was not burning. Wake them up, wake them up at this hour. Whatever is necessary, will you press the alarm, will you shout, will you go floor by floor, you will wake the people up."
"WILL THE LIVES WE LOST COME BACK?"
Emphasizing that nothing can alleviate the pain they experienced, Güner asked, "After the judiciary makes its decision and reveals those responsible for the negligence related to the issue, what will happen if life imprisonment is given, what will happen if they rot in prison? Will the lives we lost come back?"