Firefighters ‘damping down’ after blaze destroys Gateway to Wales hotel

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Fourteen firefighters remain at the scene of a fire which ripped through the Gateway to Wales hotel early this morning.

An investigation will get underway this morning to find out the cause of the fire which appears to have gutted the 40 bedroom hotel on Welsh Road.

The fire broke out just before 4.30am this morning, seven fire appliances, one from Flint, Mold, Buckley, Wrexham and Chester, and two from Deeside, together with two aerial ladder platforms from Wrexham and Chester were sent to the fire.

Six ambulance crews in emergency ambulances, a paramedic in a rapid response vehicle were sent to the scene, fortunately nobody required hospital treatment.

The fire service said 48 hotel guests and staff have been accounted, for they were evacuated along with residents of nearby homes, its believed some were taken to Deeside Leisure Centre.

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A Fire Service spokesman at the scene said;

“We have now down scaled the size of the incident, there approximately 14 firefighters left at the scene and they will be working throughout the day to damp down and turn over any hot spots in the building”

The fire is in effect out now, there will be a thorough fire investigation which will begin and continue through out the day to understand how and why this fire occurred.”

Sealand Primary School is closed due to “All access to school currently closed. Due to staff unavailability we have no choice but to close the school for today”.

Welsh Road in Garden City has been closed as far back as the blue bridge to assist the Fire Service according to police.

A spokesman for the Welsh Ambulance service said:

“We were called at approximately 4.35am this morning (Monday 18 December) to reports of a fire at the Gateway to Wales hotel in Garden City, Deeside.

We sent six crews in emergency ambulances, a paramedic in a rapid response vehicle and an ambulance officer to the scene, however there were no patients present requiring hospital treatment.”

[/vc_column_text][mp_carousel_1 carousel_images=”61784,61781,61774,61772,61767,61778″][vc_column_text]Danny Lawton, lives in new flats next to the hotel with his girlfriend and baby, he was woken up by police banging on his door just before 5am.

Danny told to Guardian:

“We grabbed the baby and her stuff and headed downstairs, and the car park was already full of people. The heat coming off the fire was immense.

The whole roof and top floor was on fire and the surrounding area was just full of smoke and flashing blue lights. There was a dozen or more fire trucks and police cars.

I was told to move my car as quick as I could as the heat would melt it – that’s how close it was.

As far as I’m aware the fire has been put out and the building has burnt down to just a shell.”

An earlier statement from North Wales Fire Service said;

Firefighters are currently in attendance at a fire at a hotel on Welsh Road in Deeside.

They were called to reports of the fire at 04.27hours this morning (Monday, 19^th December).

“Seven fire appliances, one from Flint, Mold, Buckley, Wrexham and Chester, and two from Deeside, together with two aerial ladder platforms from Wrexham and Chester are in attendance at the incident.

On arrival, firefighters found the roof space of the building well alight and used four sets of breathing apparatus, two hose reel jets and two main jets to tackle the fire.

All residents and staff at the hotel have been accounted for and have been evacuated to a safe area.”

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