A report says it caught 'relaxed' firefighters by surprise
The escalation of the fire at Exeter's Royal Clarence Hotel in 2016 caught 'relaxed' firefighters by surprise, according to an independent report.
The National Fire Chiefs Council report says around the time that crews were changing over - the fire burst through the hotel's roof - described as a 'surprising' and 'unexpected' development.
The report states: “It was stated to the review team that the escalation of the fire in the RCH caught everybody by surprise and was unexpected. This escalation was a significant development at this incident and changed the ‘battle rhythm’ on the fire ground from one that was described as being ‘relaxed’.”
Assistant Chief Fire Officer Alex Hanson says the report also shows there was no 'cover up' by the service.
He said: “We did not and will not unnecessarily risk our firefighters lives if there are no lives to be saved.”
The full report is available here
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