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A fire at a 12-storey hotel at a popular ski resort in northwestern Turkiye on Tuesday (January 21, 2025) killed at least 66 people, Turkiye's Interior Minister had said, but that figure swelled to 76 in subsequent reporting. People die in fires because they are often unable to find a safe escape route in time due to smoke, darkness and similar problems that accompany any fire accident while fires spread rapidly and don’t allow the luxury of time.

Another report said, “The fire broke out at the wooden-clad 12-storey Grand Kartal Hotel in Bolu at 03:27 local time (00:27 GMT) during a busy holiday period when 234 people were staying there. An initial toll of 10 dead was raised significantly in the hours after the fire. At least two people died after trying to jump to safety. It took 12 hours for the fire to be put out. Nine people have been arrested, including the owner, the justice minister said.”

However, the Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects (TMMOB) said that according to regulations, an automatic fire extinguisher system is needed. "In the photos on the hotel's website, it is seen that the automatic sprinkler system, which was supposed to be installed in 2008, was not installed," the union said in a statement. It added that it was unclear if other regulations had been complied with, but based on the statements of survivors, "it is understood that the detection and warning systems did not work and the escape routes could not be determined". The Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said those responsible for negligence leading to the fire "will be held accountable".

Unpreparedness in fire accident prevention and safe escape protocols is not limited to India, but seems to be a universal disease if one were to see this case in that way. All it needs is a little bit of foresight and a will to go the extra mile.