Tragedy in Turkey as hotel destroyed in huge fire leaving 1 dead

A fire at a closed ski resort hotel in northwest Turkey has killed one person. The Kervansaray Hotel in Uludag, Bursa province, was empty of guests when the fire started at 5.30am this morning. However Bursa Mayor Mustafa Bozbey said staff were present.

Three people were hospitalised after suffering from smoke inhalation, AP News reported, with one person killed in the blaze. The 30-year-old hotel was closed following inspections held after a fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in nearby Bolu in January, which left 79 people dead. TV footage of Thursday's fire showed flames engulfing the Kervansaray Hotel, which sits on the slopes of one of Turkey's most popular skiing destinations, just under three hours from Istanbul.

Fire crews reportedly brought the blaze under control within two hours, but not quickly enough to stop the building's upper floors being gutted.

Mayor Bozbey said the fire had started in the cafeteria - similar to the Bolu fire, which began in the hotel dining area.

Unlike today's fire, the Grand Kartal Hotel was packed with over 200 tourists when a blaze broke out in the early hours of the morning on January 21.

It took 12 hours to extinguish due to the hotel's remote and icy location, and spurred Turkey to announce a day of national mourning, with flags around the country flying at half-mast.

The state-run news agency Anadolu reported that fresh arrests had been made in relation to the Bolu fire on Wednesday.

The number of people currently in detention awaiting trial with links to the blaze is now at 28.