Three men are in a critical condition in hospital after a fire that damaged a North Adelaide hotel.
Key points:
- A fire started on the second floor of a hotel on Melbourne Street about 6:30am
- Several people have been taken to hospital
- The fire service says the cause was accidental
The Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS) said the fire that also left four other people in hospital was started accidentally.
SA Police had earlier said it may have been deliberately lit, but MFS media liaison Krystle Mitchell said at midday “the cause has been determined as accidental”.
“The damage bill is hard to put a dollar value on until the building undergoes a structural assessment,” she added.
Emergency services were called to the Comfort Hotel Adelaide Meridien on Melbourne Street just after 6:30am on Sunday.
SA Health said that of the seven people transported to hospital, at least three were in a critical condition, all of them male.
Five of the patients were taken by ambulance to the Royal Adelaide Hospital and the others to the Lyell McEwin Hospital.
Melbourne Street reopened to traffic about 2pm after being closed since the fire broke out.
SA Police Superintendent Matt Nairn said arrangements were underway to find new accommodation for the occupants of the 95 rooms.
“We’re working with the management for the establishment to actually help them re-establish, rehouse and get people out, hopefully, within the next hour,” Superintendent Matt Nairn said.
About 50 firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze, which started on the second floor.
The MFS said the blaze was fully involved on arrival, with fire crews using aerial appliances and ladders to rescue occupants.
MFS commander Patrick Finlay said one man jumped into the hotel pool after being burned.
“We have been through every floor, every room and cleared that there are no people on these floors,” he said.
“Technically … I believe we still have some people unaccounted for, [but] we are confident they’re not in that structure.”
Couple heard woman screaming
Michelle and Graeme Ward were staying at the hotel while visiting from Waikerie, in South Australia’s Riverland.
Ms Ward said she could hear banging and popping and someone screaming that her room was on fire.
“So we got out and, by the time we got downstairs, the smoke was horrendous so it wasn’t very nice at all,” she said.
Mr Ward, a volunteer firefighter, helped direct other guests to leave.
“It’s fairly hot and it’s getting going pretty well and the flames and smokes were pouring out the windows and doors so we hope everyone’s all right.”
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