Hundreds evacuated in seaside hotel fire
October 2009
Around 850 people were evacuated from a hotel in Folkestone following a fire which started in a second floor guest room.
Fire crews attending the Burstin Grand hotel in Folkestone last month were confronted with a heavily smoke logged guest room and corridor on the second floor of the eight-storey building. At its height, five fire appliances along with 35 firefighters attended the incident.
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus tackled the fire using hydrants, jets and a positive pressure ventilation (PPV) fan. 816 guests - three of whom had physical disabilities - and 44 staff were evacuated.
The fire started after a couple staying at the hotel lit tea lights in their room and left them unattended. One of the tea lights, which had been left on top of a television, burnt through the set starting the fire.
Conclusion: Unfortunately people often treat tea lights as some sort of harmless decoration but we know that they can cause damage, destruction and even death.”
Fire crews attending the Burstin Grand hotel in Folkestone last month were confronted with a heavily smoke logged guest room and corridor on the second floor of the eight-storey building. At its height, five fire appliances along with 35 firefighters attended the incident.
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus tackled the fire using hydrants, jets and a positive pressure ventilation (PPV) fan. 816 guests - three of whom had physical disabilities - and 44 staff were evacuated.
The fire started after a couple staying at the hotel lit tea lights in their room and left them unattended. One of the tea lights, which had been left on top of a television, burnt through the set starting the fire.
Conclusion: Unfortunately people often treat tea lights as some sort of harmless decoration but we know that they can cause damage, destruction and even death.”