GUESTS were evacuated from Llandudno’s St George’s Hotel as a blaze tore through the hotel’s kitchen. The fire, caused by a faulty toaster, triggered the fire alarms at the hotel on the promenade and all 118 guests were evacuated to the nearby Esplanade Hotel.

Two crews of firefighters and the aerial ladder platform were called to the hotel to tackle the blaze for nearly three hours from around 6am. Crews used four sets of breathing apparatus and two hose reels to extinguish the fire in the first floor kitchen to which smoke and fire damage were confined.

General manager Tony Burns applauded the efforts of his staff: “It only took five minutes from when the alarms sounded at 5.50am to evacuate everyone. “Everyone was safe and, thanks to our satellite kitchen, we were still able to offer everyone breakfast. We will be having the kitchen deep cleaned as soon as possible and are looking forward to getting back to normal.”

John McDonald, manager of the Esplanade Hotel, praised the efforts of his night porter: “He dealt with the situation admirably and is now having a well-deserved sleep. We have an agreement with local hotels to help each other out in emergencies like this and were only too happy to have been of assistance.”

Kevin Roberts of North Wales Fire Service said: “This fire is yet another excellent example of how smoke alarm systems save lives. When the fire broke out, no members of staff were in the kitchen but staff on reception were alerted by the alarm and were able to evacuate guests and staff to safety immediately. The fire management procedure in this hotel was well-practised and worked well, ensuring all guests and staff escaped without injury.