A FIRE which tore through a hotel in Mortimer last month is believed to have started accidentally.
Officers from Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue (RBFRS) conducted investigations into the fire at the Wokefield Park Hotel on November 11 and concluded that the cause was accidental and related to smoking materials.
Investigations were also carried out regarding two other fires at NEP Visions, Bracknell and Reading Lakes Hotel, Pingewood.
Chris Bunyan, Group Manager for Protection (commercial fire safety) at RBFRS, said: “Effective fire safety systems were in place in all of these buildings, leading to the safe evacuation of people at all three incidents.
“However, had sprinklers been fitted in these buildings, the extent of the fire and the subsequent damage would have been greatly reduced.
“Sprinklers have many benefits both for businesses and domestic properties: they can reduce death and injury from fire, reduce the risks to firefighters, protect property and the environment, and reduce the financial impact of fire on businesses and the community.
“When a fire starts in a building which is protected by sprinklers, they control or extinguish the fire before the fire and rescue service arrives. This means that the business is usually back up and running very quickly, with minimal cost and disruption. There have been over 140 fires where sprinklers have had this effect in industrial buildings over the past three years.
“For more information about sprinklers and how they can benefit your business, visit www.rbfrs.co.uk and click on ‘commercial fire safety.”
