Ankara. A fire raged through a 12-story hotel at a popular ski resort in northwestern Turkey early Tuesday during a school holiday, killing at least 66 people — at least two of them when they jumped from the building to escape the flames, officials said.

At least 51 people also were injured in the fire at the Grand Kartal hotel in Kartalkaya, in Bolu province’s Koroglu mountains, some 300 kilometers (185 miles) east of Istanbul, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. The fire occurred near the start of a two-week winter break for schools when hotels in the region are packed.

“We are in deep pain. We have unfortunately lost 66 lives in the fire that broke out at this hotel,” Yerlikaya told reporters after inspecting the site.

Atakan Yelkovan, a hotel guest staying on the third floor, told the IHA news agency there was chaos on the upper floors as other guests tried to escape the fire, including by trying to climb down from their rooms using sheets and blankets.

“People on the upper floors were screaming. They hung down sheets ... Some tried to jump,” Yelkovan said.

Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu said at least one of the injured was in serious condition, while 17 other people were treated and released.

The hotel had 238 registered guests, Yerlikaya said. The fire was reported at 3:27 a.m. and the fire department began to respond at 4:15 a.m., he told reporters.

The government appointed six prosecutors to lead an investigation into the blaze, which is believed to have started in the hotel's restaurant section. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said four people, including the hotel’s owner, were detained for questioning as part of the investigation.

At least two of the victims died when they jumped from the building in panic, Governor Abdulaziz Aydin told the state-run Anadolu Agency earlier.

Necmi Kepcetutan, a ski instructor at the hotel, said he was asleep when the fire erupted and he rushed out of the building. He told NTV television that he then helped some 20 guests out of the hotel.

The hotel was engulfed in smoke, making it difficult for guests to locate the fire escape, he said.

“I cannot reach some of my students. I hope they are OK,” the ski instructor told the station.

Television images showed the roof and top floors of the hotel on fire.

Witnesses and reports suggested that the hotel’s fire detection system failed to operate.

“My wife smelled the burning. The alarm did not go off,” said Yelkovan, the guest interviewed by IHA. “We tried to go upstairs but couldn’t, there were flames. We went downstairs and came here (outside),” he said.

Yelkovan said it took about an hour for the firefighting teams to arrive.

NTV television suggested that the wooden cladding on the exterior of the hotel, in a chalet-style design, may have accelerated the spread of the fire.

Part of the 161-room hotel is on the side of a cliff, hampering efforts to combat the flames.

“Because the rear side is on a slope, intervention could only be made from the front and sides,” Yerlikaya confirmed.

Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy told reporters that the hotel underwent inspections in 2021 and 2024 and that “no negative situation regarding fire competence” was reported by the fire department.

In an address in Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said: “Unfortunately, we received very sad news this morning from Bolu, Kartalkaya. Our brothers and sisters were killed and injured in a fire that broke out in a hotel.”

“All necessary steps will be taken to shed light on all aspects of the incident and to hold those responsible accountable,” he added.

NTV showed a smoke-blackened lobby, its glass entrance and windows smashed, its wooden reception desk charred and a chandelier crashed to the ground.

Aydin's office said 30 fire trucks and 28 ambulances were sent to the site.

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