Hotel evacuated after skip fire
GUESTS at the Britannia Coventry Hill Hotel were evacuated yesterday morning after the building filled with smoke.
Smoke and fumes were blown into the building from a skip fire near to the hotel, in Allesley – setting off the fire alarm.
The fire occurred at about 11am today and the smoke could be seen from miles away by motorists travelling along the A45 and one eagle-eyed photographer caught images of the smoke rising above the high storey building.
Fire crews from Foleshill and Radford attended the blaze and eight firefighters tackled the flames.
The blaze is thought to have been started accidently and was extinguished within about 20 minutes of the crews arriving.
One of the firefighters based at Radford, who attended the fire, told the Telegraph: “It’s all over now.
“We went along to support the crew at Foleshill. There were two appliances and eight firefighters.
“It was a skip fire that was in close proximity to the building.
“Some smoke had entered the building which activated the hotel’s fire alarm and there was a full evacuation.
“It took us about 20 minutes to put the fire out.”
The Coventry Hill Hotel was built in the 1970s and features 192 en-suite rooms.
The Britannia Hotel website describes the venue as “a modern hotel offering a spacious reception area, fantastic restaurant and comfortable rooms”.
It adds: “The hotel also features an on-site restaurant, the Seasons Carvery, offering bright and spacious dining along with a great range of hot and cold dishes.
“The on-site bar, Windmill Bar, is also an intimate environment, with a range of drinks and bar snacks on offer.”