A Perth hotel that went up in flames earlier this week killing three people and a dog was reportedly ordered to improve its fire safety measures just weeks beforehand. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is understood to have completed a safety audit on the New County Hotel in Perth on December 12.
Three weeks later, on January 2 an early morning fire took hold in a top-floor room. The blaze ripped through the hotel and sent guests screaming into the street as flames spewed from a window. Three people were confirmed to have died in the inferno.
The Courier reports that the completed audit, sent to the hotel on December 16, raised 21 concerns that fire chiefs wanted to see addressed. Among the more pressing issues flagged were problems with escape routes, with emergency lighting reportedly "inadequate" on some routes including within the kitchen, at the front entrance and at the rear. Some lighting equipment was reportedly defective, and was not periodically tested.
The report noted fire doors designed to trap fire and heat were lacking essential strips and seals, potentially limiting their ability to contain flames. Inspectors wrote that walls and ceilings in the stairwells may have had their integrity "breached" and that electrical mains in the building were not being inspected at "suitable intervals".
They also noted that the space between floors was also lacking in compartment flooring designed to resist passing flames, adding that it may have been compromised by the installation of cabling and piping in areas designed to resist fire. Concerns were also raised about 'break glass' fire call points, some of which had been activated either accidentally or maliciously.
Further to this, SFRS allegedly called on New County Hotel bosses to ensure staff were regularly trained in fire drills to ensure they could assist people in the event of a genuine emergency. It is unclear whether the hotel had acted on the fire service's report at the time of the blaze on Monday.
One of those caught in the blaze said they could only see "two inches in front" of them as they tried to escape from the hotel. Another guest, Sri Lankan dad Manju Prasanna, told the Record he had been awoken by the noise of the fire alarms and someone yelling that the hotel was ablaze.
He said: "I woke up to some outside the room shouting to 'get out' as the alarms went off. Then I heard a man shouting ‘My room is on fire’.
"I woke up my wife and kid and told them we had to go. We ran downstairs from our room on the first floor. People were screaming at the sight of the fire."
A joint investigation by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Police Scotland is underway following the enormous emergency service response to the incident, which saw over 60 firefighters and 21 ambulance units called to County Place in the Fair City.
Local top cop, Chief Superintendent Phil Davison told reporters on Tuesday: "As I am sure you will appreciate enquiries are at an early stage and therefore no further details of those involved will be released at this time and we will provide more information as it becomes appropriate and right to do so.”
An SFRS spokesperson told the Record they could not comment on the fire audit report, citing the ongoing investigation. They said: "A joint investigation is ongoing and it would be inappropriate to provide any further comment at this time."
The New County Hotel is owned by the Edwin Hotels group, operated by British businessman Rashid Hussain, 58. Hussain operates number of other firms including Perth Hospitality Ltd, which employs eight people. Licensing records indicate that the alcohol licence for the hotel is held by Kensington Hospitality Limited, another firm owned by Hussain.
All three businesses are registered at addresses in London. Hussain could not be reached for comment.
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