SAM Magazine—Istanbul, Turkey, Jan. 21, 2025—A predawn fire at a hotel in the Kartalkaya Ski Resort in Turkey killed at least 66, with another 51 injured, Turkey's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said Tuesday. The resort is located in Northwestern Turkey's Koroglu mountains, about 185 miles east of Istanbul.

The fire ignited at 3:30 a.m. News reports suggested that it took more than an hour for firefighters to arrive, due in part to the remote location of the resort and freezing weather. 

According to news reports, 234 people were staying at the hotel when the fire broke out. Turkish Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu said that at least one of the injured was in serious condition, and that 17 people had been discharged from the hospital so far. Another 34 were still being treated in hospitals, according to the Health Ministry.

The provincial governor, Abdulaziz Aydin, suggested the blaze broke out in the restaurant on the hotel's fourth floor, reported the BBC.

Several sources reported that, according to a government official, the hotel had undergone inspections in 2021 and 2024, and “no negative situation regarding fire competence” had been reported by the fire department, the AP stated. However, witnesses and survivors said that the hotel’s fire detection system failed to operate. Further, some believed the hotel's wood-clad, chalet-style design, may have accelerated the spread of the fire.

One official spokesman said the building had two fire escapes, but some survivors said they found none. The New York Times reported there were no exterior fire escapes visible in aerial photos of the fire.

To escape the blaze, some guests strung bedsheets together so they could descend the exterior of the hotel. At least two of the victims died when they jumped from the building, according to one source.

The province's Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has assigned six prosecutors to investigate the cause of the fire. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunç said four people, including the hotel’s owner, were detained for questioning as part of the investigation.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, “Every necessary step is being taken and will continue to be taken to clarify the incident and hold those responsible accountable fully.”

Some news sources claimed that similar statements have been made following other tragedies in Turkey, with scant evidence of anyone being held accountable.

In an unrelated incident, a gas explosion at a hotel at the Yildiz Mountain Winter Sports Center in central Turkey injured four people. Two guests and their instructor were injured slightly, and another instructor suffered second-degree burns to the hands and face, according to the local governor's office.