No sprinklers fitted at fire-ravaged Holiday Inn despite advice
A Holiday Inn in the Black Country devastated by a blaze did not have any sprinklers fitted despite fire safety officers recommending it.
Firefighters worked for more than 24 hours to tackle the blaze at the Holiday Inn in Walsall, close to the M6, which started on Friday afternoon.
The blaze gutted almost the entire building on Wolverhampton Road West, near Junction 10 for the M6, in Walsall.
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West Midlands Fire Service confirmed the fire had been started accidentally in the hotel sauna area.
Everyone inside was evacuated and no-one was injured, but the fire completely destroyed the building.
West Midlands Fire Service have since revealed the hotel did not have any sprinklers fitted, despite calls for some to be installed.
A review is now being carried out on how the fire spread through the hotel.
Gary Taylor, assistant chief fire officer, said:
“Two teams of firefighters wearing breathing apparatus immediately entered the building to fight the fire. However, the fire had already entered the roof space. Shortly afterwards it spread to other parts of the building.
“Fortunately, the premises were successfully evacuated and so our crews tackled the fire from outside. The roof had completely collapsed and we had real concerns about the stability of the remaining structure.”
He added: “The premises were not fitted with fire sprinklers but, previously, our fire safety officers had recommended they be retro-fitted in line with our fire authority’s position.
“Our fire investigators believe that the fire started accidentally, in the sauna room.
"However, we will be carrying out further investigations to try to pinpoint the precise cause.
"We will also be looking in detail into factors that might have contributed to the spread and scale of the fire.
“This incident is a stark reminder to us all about the devastating impact a fire can have.
"It underlines the importance of businesses having up-to-date fire safety procedures, and of their staff, guests and visitors familiarising themselves with escape routes as an absolute priority.”
Hundreds of guests lost valuable possessions and were left without anywhere to stay. Holiday Inn Express, based nearby, took in some stranded guests overnight.
And two couples who were due to have their weddings at the hotel are now desperately searching for a new venue.
At its height, there were about 50 fire service workers at the scene. During the course of the weekend there was a total of 19 fire engines, six response vehicles, three aerial platforms and more than 100 fire service personnel there.
The Express & Star has contacted Holiday Inn for a comment.
Building rules in the UK mean that only buildings higher than 30 metres in height legally require sprinklers. Holiday Inn Walsall was below that height.
Hotel bosses have said staff are continuing to work with West Midlands Fire Services on their investigation and find vacancies for these employees in other local hotels that they operate.
The Holiday Inn was bought by an Asian investment company in October 2017. Although the price tag was not revealed, the hotel was on the market for offers in excess of £10 million.
Canada Life, which rebranded the hotel to a Holiday Inn in 2011, sold it to CL Capital, an Asian-based investment fund.
