- This story is developing, more to follow
A fire at a closed ski resort hotel in northwest Turkey killed one person Thursday, two months after a blaze at another Turkish winter resort left 79 dead.
The Kervansaray Hotel in Uludag, Bursa province, was empty of guests when the fire started at 5:30 a.m. but staff were present, Bursa Mayor Mustafa Bozbey said. Three people suffering smoke inhalation were hospitalised.
The 30-year-old hotel was shut following inspections conducted after the Grand Kartal Hotel fire in nearby Bolu province in January, Halk TV and other outlets reported.
TV images showed flames quickly engulfing the six-story hotel, on the slopes of one of Turkey’s most popular ski destinations less than a three-hour drive from Istanbul.
Fire crews brought the blaze under control within two hours but not before the upper floors had been gutted.
Bozbey said the fire began in the cafeteria. The fire in Bolu also started in the hotel dining area.
The state-run Anadolu news agency on Wednesday reported fresh arrests relating to the Bolu fire, taking the number of people in detention awaiting trial to 28.
More to follow.
