Murder inquiry after hotel arson

Police said it was the most serious hotel fire in the country for 30 years

The deaths of three people in a fire at a Cornish hotel are being treated as murder after police confirmed they were investigating an arson attack.

More than 80 people escaped from the Penhallow Hotel blaze in Newquay on 18 August last year.

Peter Hughes, 43, of Cheslyn Hay, Staffs, was killed trying to rescue his mother, Monica, 86. Joan Harper, 80, from Stoke on Trent, was also killed.

Inquests have been opened and adjourned into all three deaths.

Police said it was the most serious hotel fire in the country for 30 years and it was a "miracle" more people were not killed.

To now learn that someone must now answer a murder charge has added to an already heavy burden Marjorie Brys, victim's sister

Detectives said painstaking inquiries by fire service investigators and independent experts had established the fire was started deliberately.

Det Ch Supt Chris Boarland said police believed someone could be harbouring the arsonist.

"Somebody else may have knowledge of this, even if they were not involved. We need them to come forward," he said.

When the fire broke out in the early hours, the hotel was close to capacity with 86 guests, three members of staff and a coach driver in the building.

Peter Hughes died trying to rescue his mother from the blaze

Det Ch Supt Boarland said the fire began on the ground floor and spread with a "ferocity" through the building.

The speed at which the building caught fire indicated that it must have been started deliberately, he added.

Most of the evidence was destroyed, making the investigation more complex. Police would not say about whether accelerants were used to start the blaze.

Fire crews had to withdraw when parts of the structure gave way.

It was later decided the four-storey hotel should be demolished.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Peter Hughes' sister Pat Albutt said: "Losing my mum and Peter feels like the heart has been ripped out of our family."

She said Mr Hughes was a well-respected teacher who was greatly missed.

"It says all that you need to know about Peter that he died trying to save our mum from the fire."

At the inquest into his death, Cornwall coroner Emma Carlyon found Mr Hughes died from inhaling smoke and toxic fumes.

The remains of the hotel have been extensively searched

Joan Harper's sister Marjorie Brys, said: "To lose her so tragically has been a terrible blow.

"To now learn that someone must now answer a murder charge has added to an already heavy burden.

"I hope that the police will now bring to justice whoever is responsible for such a terrible act and that my sister will now be able to rest in peace."

A spokeswoman for the Holdsworth Hotels Group, which owned the Penhallow, said they would continue to assist the investigation.

She said: "We continue to express our deepest sympathies to all those affected."

The Mayor of Newquay, Patrick Lambshead, called for 24-hour fire cover from stations in the town during the summer months after Cornwall's chief fire officer admitted he did not have enough officers to crew a second pump to tackle the fire.

Cornwall County Council began a review of the overall fire service after the hotel blaze.