The blaze swept through the Grand Kartal Hotel in the Kartalkaya mountain resort on January 21, leaving 137 others injured. Entire families perished in the tragedy, and relatives displayed photographs of the victims outside a gymnasium in Bolu, where the hearings were held.
The court handed life sentences to the hotel owner, manager, and several board members, according to local media. A deputy mayor of Bolu and the local fire chief were also convicted and given prison terms. In total, 32 people faced charges, with 20 held in custody during the proceedings.
Investigators found that the fire alarm system had failed and that some gas installations did not meet safety standards.
Hotel owner Halit Ergul, who received a life sentence, denied wrongdoing and blamed the gas supplier. “We had regular inspections,” he told the court. “I did not even allow fireworks in front of the hotel for weddings because I did not want the birds to die,” he added.
Witnesses and victims’ relatives delivered emotional testimonies, recalling how the fire erupted in a restaurant shortly before 3:30 a.m. “I go to the cemetery each day. No psychologist can ease such a pain,” said Hilmi Altin, who lost his wife and nine-year-old daughter in the disaster.
