Perth hotel fire: Guest tells of escape from New County Hotel blaze
- Published
Manju Prasanna fled the blaze with his wife and four-year-old daughter
A guest at a Perth hotel where three people died in an early-morning blaze has told of his family's escape from the fire.
Manju Prasanna, his wife, and their four-year-old daughter were woken by a guest at the New County Hotel shouting that his room was on fire.
The family fled outside where they watched the incident unfold on Monday morning.
Police and fire officers have launched an investigation into the fire's cause.
Mr Prasanna, who is from Sri Lanka, was visiting his wife, who is studying at Dundee University.
He said the family were in their room on the first floor of the hotel, the floor below the area where the fire broke out.
The 38-year-old said he heard a guest shouting that his room was on fire.
Mr Prasanna left the building with his wife and child and saw flames coming from the second floor window.
"I waited here, me my daughter and my wife - my daughter was afraid and she was crying loudly," he said.
At its peak 60 firefighters were sent to the scene
Forensic teams have been working at the scene
The alarm was raised at about 05:10, leading to a huge response from the emergency services, with 21 ambulance crews, 60 firefighters and nine fire appliances at the scene at its peak.
About 16 hotel guests and two people from neighbouring flats were evacuated.
Eleven people were treated at the scene by the Scottish Ambulance Service.
The fire was extinguished at about 06:30 and three bodies were discovered in a subsequent search.
A dog also died in the blaze, according to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS).
Police Scotland said officers were conducting a joint investigation with the fire service.
Police confirmed that three people died at the scene of the fire.
Ch Supt Phil Davison added: "Our thoughts are very much with the families and loved ones of those who have died at what is a very difficult time for everyone."
Jason Sharp, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service area commander for Perth, Kinross, Angus and Dundee, described it as a "very complex incident".
"Our firefighters worked extremely hard in a very complex and challenging environment to prevent the further spread of fire and damage where possible," he said on Monday afternoon.
"At its height, we had nine fire appliances in attendance with over 60 firefighters.
"We're currently still in attendance to make sure the scene is safe. I would like to thank our crews and our other emergency partners and local authority for their support."
The emergency services were called to the scene shortly after 05:00
Residents of the city centre street spoke of a sense of shock that such a tragedy could have happened on the second day of the new year.
"We were wakened at 05:00 when the alarms went off and the lights were flashing in my room," one resident told BBC Scotland.
"Obviously as we were watching it unfold, police incident units were arriving. The fire brigade and 21 ambulances were outside.
"It was pretty horrendous to watch. It was frightening. When I saw the private ambulance I knew it only meant one thing. Then I realised it was major."
Deputy First Minister John Swinney, who is the local MSP, paid tribute to the work of the emergency services.
"The news of the major fire at the New County Hotel in Perth and the loss of life that has been associated with that has been an absolutely tragic start to 2023 in the city of Perth," he said.
"I extend my deepest sympathies to everybody who has been involved in this tragedy and affected by this tragedy.
"There has been a huge effort by the emergency services to try to avoid the loss of life and address the very serious fire that has emerged, and a whole host of support work has been put in place to assist those who have been affected, and I'm grateful to everybody for their efforts in these very sad circumstances."
First Minster Nicola Sturgeon described it as a "sad and shocking incident".
In a post on Twitter, external, she added: "My deepest condolences are with the bereaved and my thoughts with all those involved.
"I am also hugely grateful to the firefighters who responded and to our other emergency services."