Decades of neglect: Over 300 lives lost in Türkiye’s major fires

A devastating fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya ski resort on Tuesday claimed 79 lives, highlighting Türkiye’s ongoing fire safety challenges. Since 1959, over 300 people have died in major structural fires, according to emergency services and media reports.

Bolu fire extends historic mass-fire pattern in Türkiye

The latest disaster at Kartalkaya extends a sobering pattern of fire-related casualties that has persisted for over half a century, marked by repeated safety oversights and inadequate prevention measures.

In 1966, one of the nation’s earliest documented mass-casualty fires claimed 66 soldiers’ lives at a military barracks in Erzurum. The soldiers, who had just returned from night training were asleep when, according to official Parliament reports, gasoline used to light a stove sparked the deadly blaze.

The Cumhuriyet newspaper captured the horror of the moment: “The fire spread rapidly through the entire barracks, and soldiers from other units rushed toward the building, but they could only listen helplessly to their comrades’ desperate cries as the flames prevented any rescue.”

This incident established a pattern that would repeat throughout the decades. In 1959, a devastating explosion and subsequent fire at a mining businessman’s office in Istanbul’s Sirkeci district killed 38 people and injured 42 others.

The blast destroyed six buildings entirely and partially damaged two others. The incident was immortalized in verse by poet Sezai Karakoç, who witnessed the devastation firsthand.

History of fatal negligences in Türkiye’s fire prevention

The commercial sector’s history with fire safety is equally troubling. The 1978 YIBA shopping center fire in Ankara claimed 45 lives, primarily vocational school students. The tragedy began when butane gas lamps, used during a period of power restrictions, ignited the blaze.

According to the Onur Social History and Culture Foundation, more than 100 people were injured when fire escape ladders failed and safety nets tore during desperate rescue attempts. The incident sparked public outrage, with witnesses pelting firefighters with stones in frustration over the failed rescue efforts.

Istanbul’s hotel district of Laleli became synonymous with fire tragedies. The Washington Hotel fire in 1983 resulted in 36 deaths and 59 injuries. Thirteen years later, another hotel fire in the same district claimed 17 more lives.

More recently, in April 2024, the Masquerade nightclub fire in Besiktas killed 29 people. Court documents revealed the venue lacked basic safety measures, including emergency lighting, directional signs, and functional sprinkler systems.

Bolu fire shows negligence persists despite prior catastrophes

Despite technological advances and increased awareness of fire safety, recent incidents suggest little has changed. The 2016 Aladag dormitory fire in Adana claimed the lives of 11 students, aged 11-14, and a caregiver.

The facility, largely constructed of wood and housing approximately 200 students, became a death trap when fire broke out at 7:30 p.m. local time.

According to Aladag Mayor Mustafa Alpgedik, the fire started on the ground floor and quickly spread upward, with the wooden third floor accelerating the conflagration. Eight people, including dormitory administrators, received prison sentences ranging from four to 15 years for their roles in the tragedy.

The Kartalkaya ski resort fire has surpassed the 1966 Erzurum barracks incident as Türkiye’s deadliest fire, forcing a national reckoning with building safety standards and enforcement.

The incident adds to a troubling list of venue fires, including the 1982 Atakoy tavern fire that killed 21 people at a sports club’s social gathering when a propane heater near the only exit ignited, trapping patrons inside.

These incidents, spanning decades and claiming hundreds of lives, consistently point to similar failures: inadequate emergency exits, non-functional fire suppression systems, and poor enforcement of building codes.

As investigations into the Kartalkaya disaster continue, the incident has renewed urgent calls for stricter enforcement of safety regulations and modernization of fire prevention systems in buildings across Türkiye.