Basingstoke hotel disaster averted thanks to staff fire training
According to the local fire service, a blaze at a hotel in Basingstoke could have caused a lot more damage and possibly endangered lives had staff and managers not used their fire awareness training to evacuate the building.
The Beach Arms Hotel went up in flames at around midday on Saturday 22nd January. At its height, more than thirty fire crews arrived on the scene to tackle the fire, which is believed to have started in the boiler room on the first floor of the hotel.
As an investigation gets underway to discover why the blaze started, fire chiefs have praised the staff and managers of the hotel and bar for taking the right fire safety precautions. Station Manager Ryan Thurman said:
”Two members of staff had attempted to tackle the blaze with a fire extinguisher, however, the hotel manager took the right course of action by swiftly evacuating the whole premises and alerting the fire and rescue service.”
Fire crews also praised the hotel for installing a fire alarm system and ensuring it was maintained properly. This and all other safety precautions would generally be covered as part of a fire awareness training course.