Bournemouth hotel evacuated after fire breaks out

Staff and 26 guests were taken to neighbouring hotels to be looked after

A hotel in Bournemouth was evacuated after a fire broke out in the early hours of the morning.

About 100 firefighters tackled the fire at the Heathlands Hotel in Grove Road on East Cliff.

It is thought to have started in a second-floor bedroom and spread through the roof space, but is now under control, the fire service said.

Two staff and 26 guests were moved from their rooms just before 0200 GMT. Nobody was injured.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

Second fire

Ben Ansel, chief fire officer for Dorset Fire and Rescue Service, said: "Crews have done a really good job in containing the spread of this fire.

"At this moment we are unsure of the extent of the damage caused and also do not know the cause of the fire but we will be conducting an investigation as soon as we are able to."

Heathlands Hotel has 114 bedrooms and it is the second time in three years it had to be evacuated because of a fire.

In April 2007 a fire destroyed the laundry room on the ground floor. It was caused by an overloaded electric socket.