Couple trapped on balcony as hotel goes up in flames

A woman who was trapped on a balcony as her Turkey hotel went up in flames has said it was like "Armageddon".

Cherie James, 57, and her husband Sean, 57, from Blackwood, Caerphilly, were staying at a five-star hotel in Marmaris on holiday when they saw "thick dark" smoke entering their room.

The couple ran to the balcony where they said they stayed for three hours waiting for people to come and save them.

Holiday provider TUI apologised to customers whose holidays were impacted and said safety remained a priority.

"At the start we had an amazing time. It was a lovely atmosphere and the place was beautiful," said Cherie, who flew out to Turkey with Sean on 31 March.

In the early hours of 4 April, the couple were woken by a noise coming from outside.

"I saw Sean diving out of the bed and go out to the balcony. I asked if something was wrong and it was then that I saw the room had filled with smoke.

"Then the lights went out and we knew the electric had gone off," she said.

The holidaymaker said they could hear screaming and were told not to go out to the corridor as it was filled with smoke.

Cherie and Sean ran out to the balcony, shutting the door to their room and covered their faces with jackets to protect them from the smoke.

With no other exit route, the couple, along with 11 others on the same floor, were trapped.

"We were screaming and shouting for help but the silence was deafening," she said.

"There was smoke billowing into our faces, it was awful. It was like we were left there. It was like we were forgotten," Cherie said.

After an hour and a half, Cherie said it started to get light but they couldn't see anyone due to the smoke.

"I just turned to Sean and said 'Will we see the children and mum again?' We starting thanking each other for everything the other has done for us and the children.

"We were saying our goodbyes," she said.

Two hours later, the couple heard someone shouting that the fire had been extinguished and someone was coming to help them.

Firefighters came to rescue the group who had been trapped for three hours on the balcony.

"We heard the smash on the balcony window and the smoke just hit us. The fireman put his arm around my waist and led me out of the hotel," Cherie said. "It was like Armageddon."

She said paint had melted off the ceilings and smoke had filled the corridor, describing the heat as "intense".

Cherie said the couple were taken to hospital by ambulance to be treated.

While they were moved to another hotel, the couple decided to cut their holiday short.

"I woke up the day after and decided I didn't want to be here. I couldn't continue with the holiday after what we had been through," she said.

By sharing what happened, Cherie said she hoped people will be more aware of their surroundings while on holiday.

"It will be a long time before I'm on holiday abroad again. But if I do go away to a hotel, I will be asking for a ground floor room," she said.

"We would usually pay extra for a top floor room and for the breath-taking views, but I will never pay for a top floor room. I'd rather sit and look at the car park.

"Everywhere I go, I'm always looking at exit routes. So I hope this story just helps people to be more aware of their surroundings while they are away," she said.

A TUI spokesperson apologised to its customers and said their team did their best to work with local authorities and support customers on the ground.

"We would like to reassure customers that their safety is our most important priority, and that we are working with the hotel management to further investigate the incident," they said.