Berkin Usta, 25-year-old Olympic skier, killed in fire at ski resort

Olympic skier Berkin Usta and his father were killed Thursday morning in a fire at a ski resort that was closed to the general public in Turkey. 

Usta, 25, represented Turkey in the 2022 Olympics.

His father, Yahya Usta, was president of the Turkish Ski and Snowboard Teachers Association.

“I learned with deep sorrow that our national athlete Berkin Usta and his father Yahya Usta lost their lives in the fire that broke out in the hotel,” Sports Minister Osman Askin Bak said, according to the Associated Press.

The Ustas — including Berkin’s mother — were staying on the six-floor hotel’s second-highest level at the time of the blaze.

Berkin’s mother survived.

Located atop a popular ski destination about three hours outside of Istanbul, The Kervansaray Hotel was empty of guests when the fire started at 5:30 a.m.

But 12 staff were present, the Bursa province governor’s office said.

It is not clear why the Ustas were staying at the hotel or if any family members were part of the staff since it was closed.

Several people were hospitalized because of smoke inhalation, local authorities told the AP.

The fire began in the cafeteria at 5:30 a.m., government officials said.

The state-run Anadolu Agency later reported that the hotel manager had been detained.

The hotel was shuttered in January when its accommodation permit was canceled.

Fire crews reportedly had the flames under control within two hours, but the upper floors had been severely damaged by that point.

“We conducted an inspection of this hotel in January. We identified deficiencies and shared them with the relevant institutions,” Bursa mayor Mustafa Bozbey said, according to TMZ. “There was information that the hotel was closed. It is being investigated why there were 12 people inside. If this is negligence, it must be revealed.”

A different ski resort in Turkey, the Grand Kartal hotel, caught fire earlier this year and 79 people were killed.