Derelict hotel seriously damaged in suspected arson attack

Police are treating a recent fire incident at a derelict hotel in Devon as possible arson.

On 23 October 2023, firefighters from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service (DSFRS) responded to several reports of a major fire at a two-storey derelict building in Seaton, East Devon.

Nine fire appliances and more than a dozen firefighters spent much of the evening tackling the blaze. Attending fire stations included Seaton, Colyton, and Honiton, with additional support from Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS) after requests were made for a water carrier.

DSFRS later reported: “Officers in charge of the incident made a further request for additional pumps, making the total up to nine pumping appliances on scene, and also the Environmental Protection Unit was mobilised to provide decontamination for firefighters on scene.

“The Fire Service drone was also requested to provide additional visibility on the scene to improve firefighting decision making and situational awareness. The fire has been brought under control and crews are dealing with different sectors including a decontamination sector.”

DSFRS added that a “controlled burn” had been allowed to take place so that the fire could reach a “natural break”. Overnight crews continued to damp down the site, utilising an aerial ladder platform, a water wall, and a main jet to “cool the boundary”.

Closed in 2005, the former holiday resort had been vacant for some time and had fallen into disrepair. As reported by ITV News, it is believed that East Devon District Council was in the process of considering plans to build holiday homes on the site. 

Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed that the premises had sustained “serious damage” from the fire but added there were no injuries. Aerial shots taken in the aftermath of the incident show the two-storey building completely ravaged by fire.

Police told East Devon News that they suspect the fire was started deliberately, with a spokesperson for the police saying: “Police are treating the incident as arson and appealing to anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious in the area at the time to contact them.”

 

(Photograph by Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service)