23.01.2025 19:40
Hacı Latif İşçan, an Emergency Management and Occupational Safety Expert, made statements regarding the hotel fire at Kartalkaya Ski Resort, which claimed the lives of 78 people. He said, "The biggest mistake, and I say this because I saw the fire escape stairs on fire, is that they were covered with carpets. There were flames in the areas that needed to be evacuated. People couldn't get out; they couldn't be evacuated."
Turkey was plunged into mourning by the fire disaster at the Grand Kartal Hotel, which claimed the lives of 78 people at the Kartalkaya Ski Resort. The loss of life of citizens who could not be evacuated due to a chain of negligence is heartbreaking, and another fact regarding the hotel's internal fire escape stairs has come to light.
11 SUSPECTS IN CUSTODY A fire broke out at the Grand Kartal Hotel, one of the 5 hotels located at the summit of the Köroğlu Mountains, which is 2,200 meters above sea level and 38 kilometers from the city center, on the night of January 21. In the restaurant area located on the 4th floor according to the back entrance and minus 1 according to the main entrance, the flames quickly grew. After a report was made to the 112 Emergency Call Center at 03:21, teams were dispatched to the area. The fire was extinguished after 11 hours of work. 78 people lost their lives in the fire. 11 suspects related to the incident were taken into custody.
"FIRE EXTINGUISHING SYSTEM REQUIRED IN EVERY AREA OVER 2,000 SQUARE METERS" Emergency Management and Occupational Safety Expert Hacı Latif İşçan stated, "One of the biggest vulnerabilities of hotels in Turkey is the excessive use of flammable materials. Carpets and curtains are flammable; in common areas, we need to use equipment that has been upgraded to fire classes A1, A2, and sometimes B1, which do not progress when they see flames. If we allow smoking in the rooms, our carpets must be non-flammable. There must be a fire extinguishing system in the rooms. Every area over 2,000 square meters must have a fire extinguishing system. Normally, this hotel should have a fire extinguishing system. Is there a fire extinguishing system? Unfortunately, there is not. This is actually the reason for the fire's growth and the significant loss of life. There should be systems in place to prevent smoke from passing between doors in the corridors. We prevent smoke passage by blowing air with positive pressure from above. When we blow air with positive pressure, taking clean air from outside, smoke cannot enter inside. People can easily leave the corridors and head towards the fire exit doors, and they can evacuate through those doors," he said.
"THERE WERE FLAMES IN AREAS THAT NEEDED TO BE EVACUATED" Continuing his speech, Hacı Latif İşçan said, "I did not enter inside; I would be speaking hypothetically, but I can comfortably say this: If the fire escapes had been separated, isolated, and if fire doors had been placed between the corridors, which we call air compartments, ventilation systems, and escape tunnels, up to 30 meters, people would have been able to descend safely using the fire escapes without being exposed to smoke. If all of what I have described had been in place, there would likely have been no loss of life. We are talking today because they were not. The biggest blunder is that I saw the fire escapes burning, covered with carpets. There were flames in areas that needed to be evacuated. People could not escape and had to turn to the windows, affected by the smoke. There was no isolation between the compartments. The door of each room must be fire-resistant up to 60 degrees. The walls should not allow flames and smoke to pass through. Flames and smoke entered from these areas as well. People had to turn to the windows. We all witnessed a terrible situation," he expressed.