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Perth hotel fire investigation: What happens next?

Flames at the New County Hotel in Perth.
The police and fire service outside the New County Hotel following the fatal fire. Image: Steve MacDougall/DC Thomson.

The fire at the New County Hotel in Perth that claimed the lives of three people is the first fatal blaze to occur at a Scottish hotel since 2017.

Investigators will now look to establish what happened in the early hours of Monday morning.

But who is responsible for carrying out the probe and what are the key factors they will look at?

The Courier spoke to fire and security expert Stephen MacKenzie to find out what the next steps are likely to be.


Who will carry out the investigation?

Mr MacKenzie says the investigation will be jointly carried out between Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

He said: “Scottish fire services have some of the best investigators in the world and it will be a separate team there that will conduct the investigation.

Fire crews with a crane inspecting the building. 
Fire crews with a crane inspecting the building.  Image: Steve MacDougall / DC Thomson
Fire safety expert Stephen MacKenzie.
Fire safety expert Stephen MacKenzie.

“They will have all the tools they need and they will pass the outcome on to Police Scotland and the procurator fiscal.

“There will also be a report and that will determine if there is a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI).”

An FAI requires a sheriff to hear the case in court and examine what happened. The judge would then have powers to order any changes they think could potentially prevent a similar tragedy.

An inquiry recently concluded into the fatal Cameron House fire in 2017, which left two people dead.

Sheriff Thomas McCartney made a number of recommendations after the fire at Cameron House which he says should apply to all hotels in Scotland.

The delay in the inquiry taking place was in part due to criminal prosecutions.

In January 2021, operator Cameron House Resort (Loch Lomond) Ltd was fined £500,000, while night porter Christopher O’Malley was given a community payback order for breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act.

What will the investigation look at?

It is likely look at a number of factors, from how the fire started and spread to what safety precautions were in place at the Perth hotel.

Mr MacKenzie – who has worked with several public bodies including the NHS and campaigns to improve safety – says hotels are designed to retain fire in the room it starts and that each room should have its own smoke detector.

He said: “Every fatal fire results in an investigation to double check everything is working as it should, the technology is up to date and so on.

“The investigation will look at when the fire service got the call, what they think was the first item burning, what the fire spread dynamics were in the room of origin and at what point the fire spread beyond that.

“Investigators will also look a whether there were any statutory risk assessments, any training and fire drills and the fire detection and alarm system.”

How long will the probe take?

There is no definitive timeline of how long the investigation will take.

The last fatal fire to occur in a hotel in Scotland was the Cameron House fire which happened in December 2017.

The Cameron House fire.
The Cameron House fire. Image: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

The blaze at the five-star Loch Lomond resort claimed the lives of Simon Midgley, 32, and his partner Richard Dyson, 38, from London.

Cameron House was later ordered to pay £500,000 after admitting to breaches of fire safety rules, but this wasn’t until January 2021.

An FAI did not begin until August 2022.

Should the public be worried about fire safety?

Mr MacKenzie – who has decades of experience as a fire safety consultant – says the hotel industry is heavily regulated when it comes to fire safety.

But he added: “We don’t see a frequent incidence of fire in hotels but it’s another wake up call for the sector.

“We can’t be complacent and we must learn our lessons from any fire, especially ones with fatalities.

Police investigators using torches at the scene following a fire at the New County Hotel in Perth
Police investigators using torches at the scene following a fire at the New County Hotel in Perth. Image: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

“Everybody should check their fire risk assessments, remove any fire risks where possible and make sure all staff are trained – including part-time and seasonal staff.

“Don’t assume when that fire alarm goes off it’s a false alarm, assume it could be a fatal fire developing.”

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