Guests evacuated after Newcastle hotel fire

It has been revealed that over 100 people had to be safely removed from a city centre hotel in Newcastle the other week when a fire broke out in the laundry room.

Fire crews from Byker, the West End, West Denton and Gateshead attended the blaze at the Vermont Hotel, Castle Garth.

Guests watched on from outside the hotel just after 11pm as the 20 firefighters tackled the flames inside the building.

Stuart Matthews, crew manager at West End fire station, said:

“When we got there, the staff had very quickly evacuated the guests.

“There were about 100 who had been taken out of the entrance near the Moot Hall. Some were in their nightwear.

“Many of them stayed outside while we went in, but some went to the nearby Bridge Hotel pub.

“The fire had started in the laundry room due to an electrical fault in a tumble dryer.

“The laundry room was about 80% damaged by fire and a storage room, an office and changing room within that area were also damaged.

“A conference room on the floor above was slightly damaged by smoke.

“After extinguishing the fire the hotel was smoke logged so we then used positive pressure ventilation through a window.

“We were there for about an hour-and-a-half before the guests were allowed back in.”

It is thought that the fire was started by an electrical fault in a tumble dryer.