New sprinklers avert fire deaths at Bournemouth Marriott

The recent installation of a sprinkler system prevented a large loss of life at a four-star hotel in Dorset which caught fire this morning, according to fire officers.

One hundred guests at the 157-bedroom Highcliffe Marriott hotel in Bournemouth were evacuated just after 4am as alarms sounded after a blaze broke out in the hotel basement.

As smoke poured through the first two floors of the four-storey building, firemen made a detailed search for anybody overcome by the fumes.

The blaze started after a failure in an emergency lighting back-up battery, which was destroyed. Damage was contained to eight rooms below ground.

"Hotel fires are some of the most difficult to contain," said assistant divisional fire officer Paul Saltmarsh. "Here is an example of a hotel being pro-active and fitting sprinklers."

"There is no doubt that this fire would have seriously damaged the entire building had it not been for the sprinkler system."

"Over the years there have been a number of devastating hotel fires in Bournemouth, a town that relies heavily on its tourist industry. "

"It is pleasing to see that this has been averted today thanks to this recent investment. Everybody was accounted for."

The hotel, on the resort's West Cliff, is popular among leading politicians who stay in the town during the party conference season.

A hotel spokesman said: "Everything is now OK. There was very little damage and everybody was fine."