Demolition begins at blaze hotel

Parts of the building are being demolished to make it safe Enlarge Image

Demolition is under way at a Cornwall hotel after a fire in which a man died and five people were injured.

Police now say they are searching for four people missing after the blaze at the Penhallow Hotel in Newquay.

Fire crews need to make the building safe after parts of it gave way. Police said they thought the man who died had fallen from a second-floor window.

Officers said a burglary took place the evening before the fire, but they were not currently linking the two events.

They are keen to talk to any potential witnesses of the burglary which happened shortly after 1900 BST on Friday.

The top two storeys of the four-storey hotel and its facade will be demolished before an investigation takes place.

More than 80 people managed to get out of the building safely during the blaze in the early hours of Saturday.

Interviews

Fire crews said they were working with a specialist contractor to remove the upper floors of the building and make it safe.

Chief Constable Stephen Otter said: "One of the difficulties we have at the moment is going through the process of interviewing everyone who has come out.

"The longer we go on the more concerned we become for the welfare of those people. We have to investigate what happened along with the fire service and that will take time."

Nightmare end to holiday Your photos: Hotel blaze Eyewitnesses tell of blaze

Cornwall Fire Brigade senior divisional officer Colin Hatch said a controlled demolition was necessary before fire and police personnel could start their investigation into the cause of the blaze.

No-one would be allowed into the evacuated neighbouring buildings until the fire service had carried out a full risk assessment, he added.

Cornwall Fire Brigade chief officer Matt Littmoden said there had been a timber fire escape at the rear of the hotel. He said there had been issues over the "structural integrity" of the fire escape, but no concerns over the fact it was made of wood.

The fire escape had last passed a safety inspection in 2006, he said.

Of the five people injured, two were said to be in a critical condition while the others were in a stable condition.

Devon and Cornwall emergency services said that when the fire broke out the hotel was close to capacity with 86 guests, three members of staff and a coach driver in the building.

Forced back

The fire service sent a total of 23 appliances to tackle the blaze after it was called to the scene at 0015 BST.

Three neighbouring buildings, also said to be hotels, were evacuated as a precaution.

HOTEL FIRE HELPLINES The police information line number is 0800 056 0154 The hotel firm has also set up a helpline for anyone who is concerned about a friend or relative on 01254 889 900 Guests offered refuge

Mr Hatch said more than 120 firefighters who attended the blaze were forced to pull back due to the instability of the hotel's outside walls.

The hotel's owners said smoke detectors and fire doors had been checked two weeks ago.

Ted Stimpson, deputy chief constable of Devon and Cornwall Police, said the search for the missing guests would continue and urged people in the area to stay away from the scene for their own safety.

Local resident Luke Steward told BBC News 24 he was in a pub when the fire broke out.

"We just saw the roof was well alight and 10 minutes later the lobby was ablaze."

Mr Steward said his brother told him he had seen people jumping out of windows onto blankets in an effort to escape from the burning building.

South Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust said its staff had dealt with one male patient who had jumped from the top floor of the hotel, two people with burns and scalds to the face who had difficulties with breathing and one patient with burns to the face and body.

A 64-year-old old male patient was also treated for shock and chest pains.

Returning home

Emergency planning staff from Cornwall County Council have set up a reception centre at a local pub - the Fort Inn, in Fore Street, Newquay - for those evacuated.

Some guests from the hotel were also being cared for at the nearby Reef Surf Lodge.

Some have been sent to a local sports hall while others are already returning to their homes in the North West.

The Penhallow is owned by Holdsworth Hotels and used regularly by Robinsons Holidays, a family-run tour operator based in Lancashire. Both firms are owned by the same parent company, O&C Holdsworth.

David Lord, director of Robinsons Travel, said senior managers from the company were travelling to Newquay to assess the damage.

He said: "About 86 people went down on the coaches last week and the majority of them will be from the North West. All those who are able to travel are now returning home. We will be taking each and every customer back to their home address."