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Three people thought to have died in Cornwall hotel fire
One man was killed and police believe another two missing people have also died in a hotel fire in Newquay, Cornwall, over the weekend.
The cause of the blaze at the Penhallow Hotel – which began in the early hours of Saturday morning – is being treated as suspicious by the police. The site has been declared a “major crime scene”.
The person confirmed to have died, an unidentified 43-year-old man, was killed as he jumped from one of the hotel’s windows in an attempt to escape. Four people were hospitalised and one is in a critical but improving condition. The others are stable.
Detective chief inspector Darren Lockley of Devon & Cornwall Police said that investigators didn’t know what had happened and that the situation would be “treated as a serious crime until there is evidence to suggest otherwise.”
The hotel is one of four sites owned by the Eastbourne-based Holdsworth Hotels Group. John McMillan, director of the company, said: “Our first priority must be to support our customers and staff who have all been through such a traumatic experience.
“We are now working closely with VisitCornwall and hoteliers in Newquay to accommodate our guests over the coming weeks.
“It’s far too early to speculate about the causes of the fire. The Penhallow had a full health and safety inspection just two weeks ago by a qualified health and safety consultant, and was inspected three times a year.
“We deal with a lot of elderly and vulnerable guests so health and safety is our top priority and we will be co-operating fully with the investigation by the emergency services.”
Eighty-nine people were staying at the hotel, which has 54 guestrooms, at the time.