At least 66 people dead after raging night fire at ski hotel in Turkey

The fire occurred near the start of a two-week winter break for schools, when hotels in the region are packed.

A fire raged through a 12-storey hotel at a popular ski resort in northwestern Turkey early Tuesday during a school holiday, killing at least 66 people — two of them when they jumped from the building to escape the flames, officials said.

At least 51 people were injured in the fire at the Grand Kartal hotel in Kartalkaya, in Bolu province’s Koroglu mountains, some 300 kilometres (185 miles) east of Istanbul, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. The fire occurred near the start of a two-week winter break for schools, when hotels in the region are packed.

“We are in deep pain. We have unfortunately lost 66 lives in the fire that broke out at this hotel,” Yerlikaya told reporters after inspecting the site.

Atakan Yelkovan, a hotel guest staying on the third floor, told the IHA news agency there was chaos on the upper floors as other guests tried to escape the fire, including by trying to climb down from their rooms using sheets and blankets.

“People on the upper floors were screaming. They hung down sheets … Some tried to jump,” Yelkovan said.

Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu said at least one of the injured was in serious condition, while 17 other people were treated and released.

The hotel had 238 registered guests, Yerlikaya said. The fire was reported at 3:27 a.m. and the fire department began to respond at 4:15 a.m., he told reporters.

The government appointed six prosecutors to lead an investigation into the blaze, which is believed to have started in the hotel’s restaurant section. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said four people, including the hotel’s owner, were detained for questioning as part of the investigation.