Guests of a Perth hotel where three people died in a fire have told of experiencing flashbacks while returning to collect their belongings.
People who were staying at the New County Hotel on January 2 have been able to retrieve personal belongings with the assistance of police, two months on from the tragedy.
Sisters Donna Janse Van Rensburg, 44, and Sharon McLean, 47, from Aberdeen and 38-year-old Keith Russell, originally from Edinburgh, died in the fire along with Donna’s dog Joey.
Guests meet police at hotel
Some of those who escaped uninjured returned to the scene on Wednesday, where they were met by a police officer who handed over their belongings in black bin bags at the front door.
They were told they were not allowed inside the building for health and safety reasons.
A police investigation into the blaze is continuing and a cause has not been revealed publicly.
Among those returning to the scene was David Kane, a long-term guest at the hotel.
He told The Courier: “It was very upsetting going back. It brought it all rushing back and I could see the flames and smell the smoke again.
“It also made me think about those people who lost their lives so it was a really upsetting experience.”
‘There have been tears’
Pearl and Sean Stevenson, who escaped the hotel fire with just the clothes they were wearing, have also returned to the scene to pick up possessions.
The couple had moved from South Africa to Scotland on December 15 and were staying in the hotel while looking for a home.
They have since moved into a flat in Dundee.
They had some possessions returned a fortnight after the blaze but most of what they owned had remained in the hotel.
Pearl, 60, told The Courier: “I was OK going back on Wednesday.
“Everything we possessed was in two suitcases in that hotel room.”
Room move ‘may have saved our lives’
“I have had some difficult times since (the fire) and there have been tears, but our family has told us we must carry on with our lives and that has helped a lot.”
The couple originally had a room on the hotel’s second floor, where the fire took hold and where those who perished were staying.
Pearl added: “We had asked to move to the first floor and that could be what saved our lives.”
Janice Bain, who used to run a slimming class in the hotel about three times a week, was not staying in the building when it went on fire but she had left equipment and paperwork in the hotel.
She said: “I haven’t been able to work since so I took the chance when police invited me to go and collecting my things.
“It was difficult being back at the hotel. Standing on the pavement outside waiting for the police to hand me my bags was strange.
“It definitely made me think about those who lost their lives that day.”
‘Difficult and traumatic’ for surviving guests
Former hotel general manager Karen Kennedy says many guests are still traumatised by what happened.
Karen – who last month revealed plans to take legal action against the hotel’s owner – said : “While the police continue to investigate the circumstances around the fire, it has been difficult and traumatic for guests who were staying.
“Many are lucky to have escaped from the building but are experiencing traumatic flashbacks and have been unable to return to work.
“It’s good that many are now managing to collect their belongings with the support of Police Scotland.”
The Courier previously revealed how organisations including Perth and Kinross Council, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and a group of independent consultants had all raised safety concerns about the hotel in the weeks before the fire.
Owner Rashid Hussain has repeatedly failed to respond to request for comment from The Courier.
