Suspects Link Bolu Hotel Fire to Kitchen Mishap

The fire, which killed 78 people at Grand Kartal Hotel on Jan. 21, has ignited widespread outrage in Türkiye over alleged negligence, with prosecutors continuing their investigation into both the root cause of the fire and the entities potentially culpable for lapses.

Although a preliminary fire brigade report identified the hotel’s fourth-floor kitchen as the point of origin, the definitive cause has yet to be officially confirmed.

Local media, citing preliminary statements from the suspects, on Jan. 27 reported their assertion regarding the fire’s inception.

According to their account, a four-member kitchen team, including chef Faysal Yaver and kitchen staff Mehmet Gündüz, Yusuf Karahanlı and Fidan Kurç, was preparing breakfast around 3:30 a.m.

The suspects alleged that during these preparations, overheated oil on the grill was ignited. In a panic, the staff poured water onto the flames, inadvertently exacerbating the blaze.

The fire rapidly engulfed the grill and spread to the exhaust duct connected to the hood. Overwhelmed by the uncontrollable flames, the kitchen staff fled the scene. The fire, originating in the kitchen, swiftly propagated throughout the hotel.

The kitchen staff are among those arrested as part of the ongoing investigation.

The claim regarding the use of water to douse ignited oil appears to diverge partially from an unofficial expert report cited in another local media outlet.

According to the report, smoke began emanating from the electric grill around 3:20 a.m., attributed to deteriorated insulation in the device's internal wiring. The report further noted that the grill itself ignited shortly thereafter, with these findings corroborated by surveillance footage, which made no reference to the kitchen staff’s actions.

In a related development, Ali A., a representative of the private auditing firm FQC Global Consulting Inc., was apprehended in Istanbul. The hotel's owner, Halit Ergül, previously asserted that this firm, accredited by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, had not identified any deficiencies during prior inspections.

While the suspects’ accounts may offer insight into the fire’s origin, they fall short of explaining its rapid escalation, the absence of an operational fire escape, the lack of adequate suppression systems and the resulting fatalities of individuals trapped amidst flames and smoke.

Survivors of the fire almost unanimously attested to the hotel's glaring lack of functional fire alarms, accessible stairwells, and extinguishing mechanisms.

The Bolu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has further alleged that similar deficiencies were present in another hotel owned by Ergül, located in the same province. Notably, the land on which this second hotel stands was reportedly appropriated unlawfully from a forested area.

In response to mounting criticism, the hotel announced a temporary closure, citing its intent to "mitigate disinformation."

Source: HDN