Türkiye - Fire at ski resort kills 66+ people, 51+ injured, Grand Kartal Hotel, Bolu Mountains, 21 Jan 2025

iamshadow21

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Big, comprehensive article here:
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Awful.
Wasn't it Turkey where 12 people died at a ski resort last month?

Edit- answering my own question, but no it was Georgia.
Unfortunately, the colder months make for more structure fires (wildfires/bushfires excepted).

Given that this is thought to have begun in the restaurant, I'm wondering about an electrical short, a gas leak, or a grease fire.

The fact that it was the middle of the night means nothing, big kitchens in high end hotels never shut down completely. Even if there's no room service currently allowed to be ordered, there is prep and precooking beginning for the next day. If they bake their own bread, I'd be expecting that to be going in the ovens by 4am at the latest.

MOO
 
I'm wondering about the construction of the facility... In the US there would be fire alarms and a sprinkler system, fire rated corridor, doors, etc. It would be interesting to understand construction materials used, including the wall system, door materials, compartmentation, etc. The pictures are alarming. It looks like many people didn't have a chance of survival.
 
Death toll rises to 76. At least 76 dead in Turkish ski resort hotel fire

It looks like it could be a wood frame building, but I can't tell.
It looks pretty darn intact the next day if it's wood throughout. If it was all timber, I would expect very little left, especially as they could only fight the fire from one side (the other is facing out over a sheer cliff, I believe).

MOO
 
It looks pretty darn intact the next day if it's wood throughout. If it was all timber, I would expect very little left, especially as they could only fight the fire from one side (the other is facing out over a sheer cliff, I believe).

MOO
It may be mixed materials - not uncommon today. Some possibilities include heavy timber structural framing, which is actually fire resistant, or concrete framing. The siding appears to be wood. I'm not sure what's supporting the siding. We don't know what the interior partitions were built from. I think we'll eventually see more information. After a fire, a shell can look deceptively intact. The articles note people trying to exit through windows, which suggests that stairwells and corridors were inaccessible due to flame/smoke.

For casualties of this number, and rapid spread, I would assume that fire protection measures left something to be desired...
 
It may be mixed materials - not uncommon today. Some possibilities include heavy timber structural framing, which is actually fire resistant, or concrete framing. The siding appears to be wood. I'm not sure what's supporting the siding. We don't know what the interior partitions were built from. I think we'll eventually see more information. After a fire, a shell can look deceptively intact. The articles note people trying to exit through windows, which suggests that stairwells and corridors were inaccessible due to flame/smoke.

For casualties of this number, and rapid spread, I would assume that fire protection measures left something to be desired...
Looks very modern inside.


The deluxe suite with fireplace looks like it's right under the pitch of the roof.
 
Funerals have begun taking place. This short interval between death and burial is normal, as many Turkish people are Muslim.


Forty five victims have been released to their families, others are waiting for DNA confirmation of identity.

MOO
 
Wood frame building, smoke detectors not working, poorly marked exits, no sprinkler system. A tragedy waiting to happen.



Witnesses said fire sensors and smoke detectors did not work, leaving guests unaware of the danger until the blaze rapidly spread through the wooden-clad structure.

The absence of a sprinkler system made the fire grow faster. Firefighters, stationed 45 kilometers (28 miles) away, took approximately 40 minutes to arrive. It took them 11 hours to control the flames.

Some guests attempted to escape by tying bedsheets together to climb out of windows. Others, disoriented by thick smoke, struggled to find the fire exits, which were poorly marked and difficult to access.
 
How could such a modern resort not have a sprinkler system and working smoke detectors? SMH
The hotel was built in 1998, and last renovated in 2015. In my opinion, there's no excuse for not having comprehensive functioning fire alarms, clear escape routes, and suppression systems. This isn't a heritage listed hotel a hundred or more years old that has been grandfathered in to building codes. It's a modern building less than thirty years old. It was mandatory for it to install fire suppression systems by 2008. It didn't.


MOO
 

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