Police say a fire that forced around 280 people to flee a seaside hotel in the early hours is being treated as deliberate.
Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) sent 26 fire engines to the Grand Burstin Hotel on Marine Parade in Folkestone at approximately 1.05am on Saturday.
The blaze is thought to have begun in the basement of the Britannia Hotels-owned building, which has previously been used to accommodate asylum seekers.
Kent Police and the fire service have now described the incident as suspicious and are asking anyone with information to come forward.
Police said their investigation was continuing and that officers believed the fire may have been started intentionally.
The serious incident triggered a large-scale emergency response, with 26 fire engines and a specialist height vehicle attending the Folkestone hotel.
Crews brought the main fire under control before concentrating on hotspots that remained. No fire-related injuries have been officially reported so far.
Guests were led out of the Grand Burstin Hotel after the fire broke out at about 1.05am on Saturday
The fire is believed to have started in the basement of the Britannia Hotels-owned building, which has previously accommodated asylum seekers
Ten fire engines stayed at the scene overnight while firefighters continued tackling the blaze.
People living nearby were advised to keep away from the hotel and shut their windows and doors.
Folkestone and Hythe District Council set up a welfare centre at Three Hills Sports Park to support those affected by the incident.
A guest who had been staying on the first floor said the fire alarm woke them, leaving them to get dressed quickly and make their way outside.
The guest said evacuees waited outside in freezing conditions for a considerable time before being allowed into The Harbour Inn.
Ben Cuthbert, 47, who runs the pub close to the hotel, said he opened its doors at around 2am after being asked to provide shelter for the evacuated guests.
He said roughly 200 people were gathered near the harbour when he arrived, with guests then brought inside to escape the cold and receive assistance.
“When we got here at 2 o’clock in the morning, there were people everywhere,” Mr Cuthbert said.
“They just needed somewhere to warm up, get out of the cold and be treated.”
Mr Cuthbert described the early hours as “quite chaotic”, saying paramedics treated people during the night for smoke inhalation and a range of injuries.
Around 280 people were evacuated from the building, while Folkestone and Hythe District Council arranged a welfare centre. (Pictured: The Grand Burstin Hotel in Folkestone)
Pictured: The charred remains of the lower level of the seafront hotel in Folkestone following a fire in the early hours of the morning
At around 5am, the council arrived and organised a welfare centre for those affected by the fire at Three Hills Sports Park, he added.
Jeff Gardner, 44, who was staying at the hotel as part of an ancestry trip, said he believed he heard a couple of explosions.
Recalling the grey smoke turning black as he left the building, the Texan said: ‘Some people in pyjamas and one guy just had some sweatpants on.
‘At least I got my clothes. I didn’t get my bag. I don’t have my passport.’
Mr Gardner said he was outside for about four hours before guests were given somewhere to stay.
He later arrived at Three Hills Sports Park, where people gathered in a hall while the hotel remained evacuated.
The Grand Burstin Hotel was previously used to house around 130 asylum seekers in 2014 to ease overcrowding at a south London hotel.
The former Conservative MP for Folkestone and Hythe, Damian Collins, criticised the decision at the time and sought reassurance that the move was temporary.
The Home Office said the migrants would be in Folkestone for no more than two weeks.
At the time, the then council leader David Monk said: ‘We are reassured that the original timescale of the Home Office has been met.’
Mr Collins was told the government would pick up the cost of the decision. He said local people should not have to take in asylum seekers without consultation or notice.
He claimed the decision had been made to quickly ease overcrowding in Croydon, and that the area had only been informed the day before about their arrival.
In 2019, 59 asylum seekers were housed at the hotel again due to an ’emergency measure’.
Folkestone and Hythe District Council said the migrants were housed temporarily under ‘extenuating circumstances’.
The local authority described it as a ‘one-off situation’ and said the beds had been vacated the following night, according to KentOnline.
The Grand Burstin Hotel currently operates as a commercial hotel open to the public.
A KFRS spokesman said: ‘Ten fire engines remain at the scene of a fire at the Grand Burstin Hotel in The Harbour, Folkestone.
‘Crews wearing breathing apparatus have worked hard to bring the fire under control and are now dampening down any remaining hotspots.
‘It’s believed the fire started in the basement of the property, but the cause is not yet known.’
Around 280 people were evacuated from the building and a welfare centre was organised by Folkestone and Hythe District Council.
‘No fire-related injuries have been reported,’ the spokesman added.
Members of KFRS’ Volunteer Response Team were on hand to offer advice and support, while the Salvation Army provided welfare support to crews.
Road closures remained in place while emergency services dealt with the incident.
Kent Police said officers were called at around 1.20am on Saturday, September 19, to reports of a fire at a hotel on Marine Parade in Folkestone.
Officers remained at the scene to assist with traffic flow while KFRS tackled the blaze.
Police have now said the fire is being treated as suspicious and appealed for witnesses as inquiries into the circumstances continue.
A Folkestone & Hythe District Council spokesman said: ‘A fire is currently ongoing at the Folkestone Grand Burstin Hotel.
‘We are operating a welfare centre at Three Hills Sports Park for people being evacuated from the site, where we are providing support to those affected.
‘We are supporting all emergency services involved in the response and their efforts to get people to safety.’
The council advised nearby residents to close all windows and doors, avoid the area, follow the instructions of emergency services and keep roads clear for emergency vehicles.
A Britannia Hotels Group spokesman said: ‘We can confirm there has been an incident at the Grand Burstin Hotel in Folkestone and we are taking immediate action to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all guests and team members.
‘Emergency services are on site and we are fully cooperating with the authorities to support those affected and assist with the ongoing response.’
‘Our advice to residents living nearby is to:
- Close all windows and doors
- Avoid the area and do not attempt to approach the hotel
- Follow the instructions of emergency services
- Keep roads clear to allow emergency vehicles to access the area
A Home Office spokesman said: ‘We have extensive checks and world leading technology protecting our borders at the Channel tunnel, and the number of illegal crossings through this route remain low.
‘Asylum claims from those entering illegally via lorry or car are also down by 25% in the past year.
‘Those who attempt to cross should be in no doubt you will be removed, with over 80,000 people with no right to be in the UK returned since the election.’
- Do you know what happened? E-mail: david.olaseinde@dailymail.co.uk
