Late last night, Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service responded to a 999-call reporting a fire at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Stratford, prompting the evacuation of over a hundred individuals.
On arrival crews found heavy smoke coming from the hotel. Thankfully hotel staff had carried out an effective evacuation and all guests and staff members were safely accounted for. Acting swiftly, crews located the fire suspected to be in the hotel's projection room. Due to the size of the hotel and the location of the incident, a full sweep of the hotel was undertaken to ensure the fire hadn’t spread to the other floors.
With heavy smoke throughout the hotel, firefighters used specialist equipment to ventilate each floor, aiding in smoke clearance. This allowed guests to retrieve their belongings safely before being assisted by hotel staff and the Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire Resilience team, who provided support and helped guests to find alternative accommodation. Four hotel staff members received treatment on-site for smoke inhalation.
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Services Area Manager Dan Glorioso praised the prompt actions of both hotel staff and firefighters, emphasising the adherence to fire procedures which ensured a successful evacuation. He added:
“Firefighters and incident commanders worked tirelessly through the night to contain and extinguish the fire, with a continued presence to damp down hotspots and maintain safety.
“At its peak, the incident involved over 40 firefighters, supported by 8 appliances and specialist vehicles, resulting in limited fire damage thanks to safe and assertive firefighting action. The fire investigation team is currently on-site to determine the cause of the incident.”
For more information of fire evacuation procedures and how to keep your business safe visit https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/fire-safety-businesses-1 To find out more about CSW Resilience visit https://cswprepared.org.uk/about-csw/who-we-are/