The Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) into the fire at Cameron House, Loch Lomond in December 2017 began on Monday 16 August.
The fire at the five-star hotel was responsible for the deaths of Simon Midgley, 32, and his partner Richard Dyson, 38, from London, who the inquiry heard had tried to smash a window that couldn’t open to escape the blaze.
The inquiry is being held at Paisley Sheriff Court, and will investigate fire safety at the hotel, determine the cause of the deaths, and seek to reduce risk of deaths in similar circumstances in the future, according to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
Cameron House Resort (Loch Lomond) Ltd, the owner of the hotel, admitted failing to take the necessary fire safety measures to ensure the safety of its guests and employees between January 14 2016 and December 18 2017, and accepted two charges of breaching the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005. They were previously fined £500,000 in January 2021 at Dumbarton Sheriff Court.
Christopher O’Malley, the hotel’s night porter, was given a community payback order as the Court heard that the fire was caused by the porter emptying ash and embers from a fuel fire into a polythene bag, which was then stored alongside kindling and newspaper.
Gary Love, a now-retired fire investigator for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, told the inquiry that the deceased couple had tried to break through a double glazed window to escape the fire.
He said: "I noted that a large picture frame was on its side directly below the window of the second floor landing," and that the “frame had been prised from the adjacent wall, most likely with the intention to be used to smash the window.”
Mr Love also told the inquiry that the investigation discovered the fire started in the concierge cupboard, but concluded that it was due to an accidental or careless act, saying: "Ashes have a low thermal conductivity, consequently, it's not rare for individuals to believe ashes are dead while in reality hot or smouldering embers are still contained within."
On Tuesday 16 August, the inquiry saw CCTV footage of when Mr O’Malley discovered the fire in the concierge cupboard at around 6:30am on December 18, 2017. Darren Robinson, then-night manager of the hotel, can then be seen picking up a fire extinguisher as smoke pours from the cupboard.
Mr Robinson considered storing the embers in this way to be a “fire risk,” as there were flammable materials stored in the cupboard, and said “it's not something I would have done.” He also said the fire was “too big, and it was more important to get people out."
A member of the public was seen in the footage trying to douse the flames with an extinguisher, while Mr Robinson “was trying to phone the emergency services. It started ringing, I think, and within the next few seconds things escalated quite quickly – lights went off, (the) place starts to fill up with smoke – and I didn't think it was safe to be in there anymore."
The inquiry also heard from Andy Logan, a guest who was also trapped in his room with his wife and son during the fire. Upon trying to leave the room, Mr Logan saw a "wall of smoke," and instead broke the room’s window with a chair, until they were then rescued by firefighters.
A spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, said: “COPFS understand that the wait for proceedings must have been extremely difficult and stressful for those affected. We will continue to keep the families of those involved fully informed and answer any questions they may have about the process during the FAI.”
The inquiry continues and is expected to last for around three weeks.