An investigation into a fire at the Moorfield Hotel in the Shetland Islands, which occurred last year, is finally complete.
While the exact cause of the blaze failed to be determined, findings suggest that it likely began with defective electrics inside an enclosure where Sky satellite equipment was operating from.
In summer 2020, the hotel with a 100-bed capacity in Brae was entirely devastated by fire, burning it to the ground. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the blaze, and the fire service’s investigation ruled that the incident was not deliberate.
The report commented that the rapid spreading of the blaze could potentially be consistent with an electrical fault, resulting in a fire travelling through a building’s wall cavities or voids. It is believed that this may have allowed the fire to spread unnoticed by the detection system fitted, however, when it exited in a room dedicated to housekeeping, it activated the hotel’s fire alarm.
A staff member’s statement in the report said they had noticed three-foot tall flames near a power supply in the laundry store.
While owners of commercial properties are not legally required to fit fire alarms systems, by law, business owners must carry out a fire risk assessment. After such an audit, it is common for firms to fit preventative measures to ensure fire safety onsite, such as smoke detectors and fire alarms. Enterprises hiring a fire alarm fitter in Chester, Brae and other parts of the UK should only use qualified professionals like certified electricians to install equipment.