A Perth hotel worker has spoken of the moment he was awoken by a fatal fire that claimed the lives of three people.
The employee, who works on maintenance and reception at the New County Hotel, raised the alarm after realising the room next to him was ablaze.
He said he opened his door to be “hit” with a wall of smoke as he desperately tried to help people.
He spoke of his horror after discovering the fire in the second-floor room before calling the fire service.
He then helped around 15 guests evacuate the hotel just before 5am on Monday.
Worker ‘hit’ by smoke
Despite his best efforts, three people were pronounced dead at the scene. A dog is also confirmed to have perished.
“I was staying overnight at the hotel. I arrived at the hotel at about 7pm last night,” he told the Courier.
“I was the one who phoned the fire brigade because I’m the fire marshal at the hotel.
“It was the second floor the fire started; I believe there were about 15 people evacuated from the hotel.
“I knew straight away there was a fire because it was actually next to the room I was in.
“As soon as I came out my of door I was hit with smoke so I knew where I was.”
The worker said the fire alarm often went off “easily” but that it was normally a false alarm.
He continued: “Obviously this time it was serious.
“I tried to evacuate the guests as much as I could; obviously there was a lot of smoke so I could only do so much.
“The firefighters confirmed that when they arrived. They said you can just do what you can and get yourself out.
“Paramedics came over and asked if I was okay but I was fine.
“There were about nine fire engines, loads of police and there were about three ambulances.”
Road remains closed
Meanwhile, a former manager at the hotel has spoken of his heartbreak at hearing of the tragedy.
Satinder Singh Sidhu, who owns a restaurant, Sidhu’s, on County Place, had said he and the owners of other businesses in the street didn’t know how long the police cordon would remain in place.
At that time, emergency services were on the scene with blue police tents and command support units stationed on the street.
However, the cordon was lifted at around 6pm.
Mr Sidhu said: “I wasn’t aware of the fire until I woke up this morning.
“We’re a few shops away from the hotel, not too close.
“Seeing something like that is really sad, hearing that people have died is heartbreaking.
“I really feel sorry for the people who were inside.
“We’ve not been told anything by police, we don’t know when we’ll get back into the restaurant.
“We only opened two weeks ago so I think we may have to cancel some of our reservations today.
“I used to work in the hotel, I was a manager there for six or seven years, it’s a relatively busy hotel.”
Joint investigation
Chief Superintendent Phil Davison is leading the investigation into the cause of the blaze.
He said Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service will work together to find out what happened.
He said: “Our thoughts are very much with the families and loved ones of those who have died at what is a very difficult time for everyone.
“Our inquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of what has happened and officers are conducting a joint investigation with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.”
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