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A court-appointed delegation has carried out an on-site inspection at a sealed hotel in Uludag, one of Türkiye's most important ski centers, 450 days after a fire killed former national skier Yahya Usta, his son Berkin Usta and his wife Fikriye Usta.
The inspection focused on the point where the fire broke out, the hotel's technical systems, emergency exits and fire suppression infrastructure. According to lawyer Ismail Eray Cokal, some smoke detectors and fire sprinklers had been installed but did not work.
The fire broke out at Kervansaray Hotel in Uludag's First Zone at around 5 a.m. on March 27, 2025. Uludag is widely known as Türkiye's first ski center and remains one of the country's best-known winter tourism destinations.
The hotel had previously been closed after inspections found 38 deficiencies in its architectural structure, fire installation, and fire detection systems.
Firefighters and disaster response teams from Uludag moved in first, while additional crews were sent from Bursa. Nine people affected by smoke were evacuated after the flames spread through the building.
Yahya Usta, president of the Türkiye Ski and Snowboard Instructors Association and a former national skier, died in the fire along with his son, national skier Berkin Usta.
Fikriye Usta was injured and died six days later in the hospital.
Security camera footage showed the moment the fire started. Investigators determined that embers left in a cardboard box after a barbecue in the fireplace area caught fire and then spread to an artificial tree nearby.
Several people, including the hotel operator, hotel manager, ski-room employees and the property owner, were detained as part of the investigation. Four suspects were initially arrested, while two people were released under judicial control.
A previous expert report found FB Usta, the company owned by Yahya Usta and the tenant of the cafe section where the fire started, primarily at fault. Jura Hotelcilik, the company operating the hotel, was listed as second-degree primarily at fault.
Prosecutors later decided not to pursue charges against several people, including employees connected to FB Usta, hotel staff, a Kervansaray Yatirim Holding official, and the operator of the hotel's bar and kitchen.
However, prosecutors sought prison terms of two to 15 years for Jura Hotelcilik owner Cevdet Kadir A. and hotel manager Tekin D. on charges of causing multiple deaths through conscious negligence. The indictment said they had failed to fix the deficiencies identified in inspections and had not taken proper precautions.
At the first hearing at Bursa 20th High Criminal Court, the two defendants were released under house arrest and a travel ban. At the second hearing, the court decided to carry out an on-site inspection.
The court delegation, expert witnesses, and lawyers entered the sealed hotel under security measures. The inspection lasted about two hours.
The team examined the fire's starting point, emergency routes, technical systems and extinguishing equipment. Samples were collected, and photographs were taken before the delegation left the building to prepare a detailed report.
Speaking after the inspection, lawyer Ismail Eray Cokal said the first expert visit had come only after 450 days of legal struggle.
He said some areas had smoke detectors while others had none, adding that some installed detectors and sprinklers did not work. He also said the victims had died from smoke inhalation rather than burns.
"There are smoke detectors and fire sprinklers that were installed but did not work," Cokal said.
He also argued that the hotel exterior included flammable materials and that a small fire had grown into a blaze that engulfed the building.
Cokal described the case as a chain of negligence, saying smoke evacuation channels were missing and fire prevention devices were absent. He argued that more people should stand trial, from the firefighter whose vehicle allegedly had no water to the owner of the restaurant where the fire began.
"This hotel burned down as a result of a chain of negligence, and we lost three lives here," he said.
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