Trapped in Smoke Welsh Couple’s Nightmare in Marmaris Fire

A harrowing hotel fire in Marmaris, Turkey, has left a Welsh couple, Cherie and Sean James, deeply traumatized after they were trapped in their smoke-filled room for several hours. The couple, from Aberbeeg near Abertillery, were staying at a five-star hotel in the resort when the fire broke out early on Friday, April . They were awoken by screams from a neighboring room, with Mrs. James recalling the terrifying moment: “We didn’t think we were going to survive. The people next door were ringing their families to tell them goodbye. Another woman was praying. I was terrible because I just thought that I was never going to see my children and my mother again.”
As the smoke filled their room and the corridor, blocking their escape, Mrs. James described the desperation: “My husband and I just said how much we thought of each other and thanked each other for everything we had done. We were basically saying our goodbyes – it was terrible.” The couple managed to get onto the balcony but found it impossible to escape the smoke, which was so dense that they wrapped jackets around their faces to try and breathe. They screamed for help but faced a “deathly silence” for over two hours, fearing they would not be rescued.
Their ordeal finally ended when firefighters arrived, using makeshift breathing aids to guide them through the smoke-filled corridors. Mrs. James recounted the rescue: “They had no breathing apparatus to get us out of there. They just put water on a towel and put it over my face. The fireman put his arm around my waist and grabbed my hand, walked us through the room. You couldn’t see anything, it was just pitch black. They had to smash doors and windows and we had to be careful to stay away from the walls because they were so hot.”
After being rescued, the couple was taken to the hospital and later discharged. However, the trauma has left Mrs. James with severe anxiety, causing her to cancel a future holiday and reconsider traveling abroad. She emphasized the importance of fire safety measures, noting that there were no audible smoke alarms in their room and no visible fire extinguishers in the corridors. The incident highlights the need for robust fire safety protocols in hotels to prevent such terrifying experiences.
This incident occurred in the same region where another hotel fire had recently caused significant concern, underscoring the importance of ensuring hotel safety standards are met to protect guests. The Marmaris hotel fire also resulted in six people suffering from smoke poisoning, with all guests being evacuated safely. The fire is believed to have originated in the hotel’s boiler room, and investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause.