A harrowing tale of survival has emerged from the recent fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya, Bolu, where a retired gymnastics coach, 67-year-old Fatih Guller, displayed extraordinary bravery to save 11 lives, including those of his own family. His quick thinking and calm under pressure, using bedsheets to create a makeshift escape route, were critical in helping those trapped inside the burning hotel.
Güller, a retired coach from Ankara, had been visiting the hotel as part of a birthday gift from his niece, Gulsen Dogan Durdag. He had traveled with his wife and children, and they were staying on the 10th floor of the hotel. However, their peaceful getaway quickly turned into a nightmare when a fire broke out in the early hours of January 21.
According to Güller, the night started like any other until the sound of fire alarms and the sharp smell of smoke woke him from sleep. "We heard a voice saying, ‘The hotel is on fire, get out!’ We were in room 1020 on the 10th floor. My niece, her husband, and their child were in one part of the room, while my nephew’s older son and I were in the other,” Güller explained.
Panic set in as smoke filled the hallways, and the family quickly realized the staircase was no longer a safe option. Remaining calm, Güller acted immediately. He gathered his family and others in the room, instructing them to leave their belongings behind and evacuate as quickly as possible. “I told everyone not to take anything with them. We left as we were. I was only able to grab my glasses and phone,” he recalled.
With the stairs no longer passable due to the thickening smoke, Güller found a room with a window overlooking the hotel’s side. In a split-second decision, he tied several bedsheets together, creating an emergency escape rope. He helped his family, including the children, descend first, followed by the women. "We tied the sheets together and helped the children down first, then the women," Guller said.
The escape wasn’t without its dangers. His niece, Gulsen, was injured when part of the sheet tore as she was descending, causing her to fall and sustain broken bones in her spine and arm. Despite her injury, Guller insisted that she go first, but only after her child was safely lowered. “I told her to go first, and I’d bring her child afterward. She said, ‘I won’t go until my child is safe,’” Guller shared.
As the smoke continued to fill the building, Guller’s voice became a beacon of hope for others. He shouted through the smoke, “Follow my voice!” guiding additional people toward safety. Once everyone was safely on the ground, a young child, around 5 or 6 years old, ran up to Guller, hugging him tightly and calling him “uncle.”
Güller later reflected on the rescue, noting that he saved 11 people in total, though he humbly dismissed any notion of heroism. "What I did wasn’t heroism. Many people acted like I did. A lot of people helped me there,” he said.
While Guller’s actions undoubtedly saved lives, he also pointed out a serious safety issue at the hotel: the fire alarm system failed to activate. “The fire alarm didn’t go off. I didn’t see a fire exit. I don’t know if there was one or not. There were no warning signs, no emergency exits—we saw nothing,” Güller stated. He believes that had the alarm gone off earlier, many lives could have been spared.
The fire, which broke out at the 11-story Grand Kartal Hotel in the Kartalkaya Ski Resort, tragically claimed the lives of 76 people and left 51 others injured. Guller’s timely actions, however, ensured that at least 11 people would live to tell the tale.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
