Negligence by chefs caused massive fire at Turkish hotel

Negligence displayed by kitchen staff caused the massive fire at the Grand Kartal hotel in Turkey, the Sabah publication reports.

The fire started in the kitchen, where a chef left the grill on. In an attempt to deal with the flames, he used water instead of a fire extinguisher, which only worsened the situation — the fire quickly spread throughout the room, engulfing the entire building.

According to the latest data, the number of victims in the tragedy has reached 79. As part of the investigation, a 15th suspect involved in the incident has already been detained.

The hotel owner publicly blamed the staff for what happened. At a court hearing, he stated that responsibility for the fire lies with the head chef, the electrician, and the security personnel. 

According to him, the chef was obliged to monitor the safe operation of kitchen appliances, while the electrician should have been monitoring the fire alarm system.