Darlington Hotel Fire - A Case Study

The Kings Head Hotel, belonging to the Cairn Hotel Group, in the centre of Darlington, is an old coaching inn, several centuries old.

We upgraded the fire alarm system with new control panels and some new detectors on the existing wiring (which although old was in perfectly good condition)

In the early hours of Friday 15th August 2007, the fire alarm activated.

The control panel in the hotel foyer indicated a fire on the fourth floor.

The hotel manager and his staff, with commendable speed and efficiency, called the fire brigade and evacuated the building.

Being a very old building, built with traditional materials, the hotel was tinder dry and the fire quickly and spectacularly developed., dramatic film of the fire was shown on national television.

The efficiency of the fire alarm, combined with the exemplary action of the hotel staff, resulted in all the residents, many non-English speaking, being safely evacuated without injury.

The action of Durham Fire Brigade saved a significant part of the hotel.

Marbco Fire & Safety Technical Director, Derek Addison, by interrogating the recently renewed fire alarm control panel, was able to identify the source of the fire and indicate the speed of it's development.

Visit the website of Cairn Hotel Group