As the clock struck the fateful hour once more, families of the 78 victims lost in last year's catastrophic fire at the northern province of Bolu's Grand Kartal Hotel converged outside the site in Kartalkaya early Jan. 21, sending lanterns skyward in silent tribute to the lives stolen at 3:17 a.m.
Under a freezing night sky, relatives stood in a somber vigil as the names of their lost loved ones and symbols of angels were projected onto the hotel’s exterior.
One of Türkiye’s deadliest resort disasters, the blaze on Jan. 21 last year trapped guests inside smoke-filled rooms.
While some survivors escaped by jumping from windows or using bedsheets to lower themselves, others were unable to get out.
Nearly half of the victims were children vacationing with their families during the winter school holiday.
Menşure Akişli, who lost her husband and their daughter, said returning to the site was deeply painful.
She recalled that her husband woke up during the fire and repeatedly called emergency services.
“Unfortunately, my husband experienced that terror,” she said.
Oktay Akişli, who lost his mother, brother and niece in the blaze and later lost his father, said the tragedy destroyed entire families.
“I lost my father 78 days after the incident. I stand here as someone who has lost everything, mourning alongside dozens of families whose homes were destroyed and whose dreams were stolen from them,” he said.
Serpil Gençbay shared the profound agony of losing her son, describing the past year as an unending nightmare.
"We cannot even look at this place. Many families couldn’t bring themselves to come. Even for us, it was a struggle until the very last minute to decide whether to show up,” she said.
Her husband, Abdurrahman Gençbay, characterized the tragedy not as an accident, but as a product of "organized evil."
He argued that a minor, manageable fire escalated into one of the world's deadliest hotel disasters because of a chain of systemic failures.
"Our pain has never diminished, and during this time, the only thing we held onto was the hope for justice. We have seen this hope rewarded, at least at this initial stage of the court proceedings,” he said.
Investigations on the blaze revealed serious fire safety shortcomings at the hotel, including the absence of adequate warning systems and emergency measures.
Authorities said hotel management failed to alert guests as the fire spread.
In a landmark ruling on Oct. 31 last year, the court handed down multiple aggravated life sentences to eleven defendants, including hotel owner, senior hotel executives and municipal officials.
