'Arson attack' forces wedding parties to evacuate hotel

GUESTS at the Carlton Highland Hotel, including two wedding parties, were forced to evacuate the building in the middle of the night following a suspected arson attack.

Four fire engines raced to the hotel on North Bridge at 12.05am yesterday after an automatic alarm was triggered.

Police believe a man started the fire in one of the rooms at the 189-bed hotel. And they say they already have a suspect.

More than 300 people, including guests at two wedding receptions, were forced to leave the hotel for several hours while firefighters tackled the blaze. Many of them were taken to the nearby Radisson Hotel on the High Street. One newlywed couple decided to return to their home instead of spending their wedding night at the hotel as planned.

Firefighters then carried out a room by room search of the building until they were sure no other fires had started. Bosses confirmed to firefighters that there was a blaze in a room and it was quickly extinguished. The damage is not thought to be extensive.

A guest at one of the weddings, who asked not to be named, said: "The hotel was really busy. As well as the two receptions, there were also lots of people in the restaurant and other guests at the hotel. They were all standing outside shivering on the pavement until they took them to the Radisson.

"The staff were wonderful and they managed to get everyone evacuated from the hotel really quickly. It was a wonderful evening up to then, it was just a shame it had such a dramatic ending."

The wedding party were asked to look at CCTV footage taken in the hotel, which appeared to show a man starting the fire.

Police and firefighters were today investigating the cause.

A fire service spokesman said: "The guests were not allowed back in until the search was finished."

A police spokeswoman said: "We are treating this fire as suspicious. We have an investigation ongoing and we have a positive line of inquiry."