The Bolu Kartalkaya Fire Tragedy – OpEd

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The fire at Bolu Kartalkaya hotel resort has devastated us all. The death toll has now reached 66, a figure that is unacceptably high—not just for a hotel fire but for any loss of human life. Even in major cities like Los Angeles, wildfires rarely result in such a heavy toll. This tragedy, occurring at a winter holiday resort, compels us to reflect deeply. Offering condolences to those who have lost loved ones is essential, but understanding this disaster and preventing similar occurrences in the future demands far more from us.

Is Geography Our Destiny?

This question is one we find ourselves asking more and more often: Is geography truly our destiny? To die in a fire while on holiday, to lose one’s life in an earthquake after working a lifetime to buy a home, to be killed over a headlight flash in traffic, to perish in a factory explosion, to be electrocuted while simply walking down the street… Even something as ordinary as eating a baked potato could result in contracting a deadly virus.

Living in a country where such tragic and preventable deaths occur so frequently forces us to ask, “Are our lives truly hanging by a thread?” Is negligence, carelessness, lack of oversight, and unawareness so widespread that we’ve normalized it?

Have We Become a Country of Cheap Deaths?

Every new incident leads us to question the value placed on human life in our society. Accidents that could be easily prevented continue to occur as part of a chain of negligence. How much more suffering must we endure? Unless we take serious action on critical issues like fire safety, earthquake preparedness, occupational health and safety, and infrastructure maintenance, we risk being labelled as a nation where lives are lost cheaply.

The Bolu Kartalkaya tragedy serves as yet another reminder of our shared responsibilities. Protecting human life is not just an individual duty but a collective one, shared by society and the state. Each life lost is not just a statistic; it is the end of a family, a story, a future. We must carry this awareness and take the necessary precautions, because no human life should hang by a thread.

Haluk Direskeneli

Haluk Direskeneli, is a graduate of METU Mechanical Engineering department (1973). He worked in public, private enterprises, USA Turkish JV companies (B&W, CSWI, AEP, Entergy), in fabrication, basic and detail design, marketing, sales and project management of thermal power plants. He is currently working as freelance consultant/ energy analyst with thermal power plants basic/ detail design software expertise for private engineering companies, investors, universities and research institutions. He is a member of Chamber of Turkish Mechanical Engineers Energy Working Group.

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