CORNWALL FIRE Brigade and the Chief Fire Officers’ Association (CFOA) have issued a plea for patience following the tragic blaze at Penhallow Hotel in Newquay on 18 August.

Senior divisional officer Jan Sturges said that the police and fire investigation into the blaze – which is thought to have claimed three lives – would help explain the causes of the incident and the lessons that should be learnt. ‘I would ask everyone to be patient until this process is completed,’ he said. His comments were echoed by CFOA president Steve McGuirk, who said that all parties should await the outcome of the investigation instead of making premature conclusions.

As FP&FEJ went to press, the police had confirmed that a 43 year-old man had died in the incident – police believe he fell from a second-floor window – and that two other elderly occupants are also thought to have perished. Four other people were being treated in hospital with serious injuries.

A controlled demolition of the building – which is owned by Holdsworth Hotels – was necessary before police and fire investigation teams could access the site. Their inquiry is examining the scene and trying to establish a timeline of movement for people who visited the hotel and also to chart the escalation of the fire.

Cornwall Fire Brigade was called to the four-storey hotel at 12.15am. SDO Sturges, the incident commander, said: ‘The first crew which attended was faced with a severe, rapidly developing fire, with smoke issuing from all areas of the hotel and a well-developed fire on the ground floor which had already spread to the roof.’

Some 86 occupants were evacuated safely from the building and three neighbouring buildings were also evacuated as a precaution.

The first crew began the rescue process using ladders, which had the capability of reaching all floors. However, crews were forced to pull back due to the collapse of floors and the instability of the hotel’s exterior walls.

At the height of the incident, 120 firefighters were in attendance, with 14 major fire appliances, two aerial appliances, a command and control unit and an operational support vehicle.

The commitment and professional approach of attending firefighters was praised by both CFOA and the Fire Brigades Union.

Penhallow blaze prompts debate on fire cover

QUESTIONS ARE being asked over the provision of fire cover in Cornwall in the wake of the blaze at Penhallow Hotel.

Cornwall County Council is reported to be considering a review of fire cover arragements across the county as a result of the blaze – a move which comes after the Mayor of Newquay suggested there should be greater cover in the town during the summer months, when the population swells from 20,000 to about 100,000.

In addition, a row has erupted between the Fire Brigades Union and CFOA over fire cover arrangements. The Union’s general secretary, Matt Wrack, said: ‘We have been concerned about cuts in staffing in Cornwall. At the height of the holiday season, in particular, we must have sufficient firefighters. We have also been concerned at cuts in nighttime cover. The first call to the Penhallow Hotel came at 12.30am. There were not enough crews in the area to man the second pump. It is dangerous not to have sufficient nighttime cover.’ Other concerns have been raised over the response times of retained fire crews.

CFOA president Steve McGuirk responded: ‘It is inappropriate to use this tragic incident as a political football and to make unhelpful assumptions in the immediate aftermath, which detracts from the outstanding work of firefighters. I suggest that all parties await the outcome of the investigation before leaping to premature, and possibly ill-founded, conclusions about what happened.’