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A hotel in Kent has suffered minimal damage after a blaze started in the basement of the premises over the weekend.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service were called to the hotel in Sandgate at around 11.50pm on Saturday (14thApril), reports the Kentish Express.

Two appliances from Folkestone station attended the incident at The Sandgate Hotel, Wellington Terrace, with officers battling the flames for around an hour.

Crews managed to contain the flames to the basement, with no damage caused to the rest of the building.

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, a 'suitable and sufficient' fire risk assessment must be conducted on all commercial properties in England and Wales.

If the fire risk assessment is deemed to be carried out to an insufficient extent, the Responsible Person can face an unlimited fine or a prison sentence of up to two years.

An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the fire.

Posted by Ryan Stevens of the FIA

A total of 37 guests and staff had to be evacuated from a hotel in London after a fire tore through the building during the early hours of this morning (9th March).

Fire crews were called to the Courtney hotel near Manor Park at around 2.25am after London Fire Brigade received 40 calls about the incident.

It took around 40 firefighters approximately three hours to put out the blaze, which caused damage to the first and second floors of the hotel.

All of the guests and staff members were evacuate from the premises. One woman was treated by London Ambulance Service after suffering the effects of smoke inhalation.

A 'suitable and sufficient' fire risk assessment must be conducted on all commercial properties in England and Wales, under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

If the fire risk assessment is deemed to be carried out to an insufficient extent, the Responsible Person can face an unlimited fine or a prison sentence of up to two years.

Posted by Ryan Stevens of the FIA

The landlord of a Milton Keynes house where two people died in a fire has pleaded guilty to three breaches of fire safety regulations.

Lookman Adeyemi of Bletchley will be sentenced on March 29th after admitting the breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 at Amersham Law Courts last Friday (March 9th).

In September 2010, 29-year-old Bola Ejifunmilayo and her three-year-old daughter Fiyin died from the effects of smoke inhalation following the blaze at the house on Fishermead Boulevard.

Mr Adeyemi admitted having insufficient fire detectors and alarms at the premises, failing to make a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment and failing to ensure that quick and safe evacuation was possible.

His plea of not guilty to a fourth count - that there was inadequate emergency lighting in the premises - was accepted.

Chris Bailey, group manager of Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service, told the Milton Keynes Citizen: "We are very pleased with today's outcome. We look forward with interest to the judge’s sentencing remarks.

"The judge made it clear to the defendant that he could not rule out a custodial sentence."

Posted by Ryan Stevens of the FIA

The owner of a House in Multiple Occupation ( HMO ) in Southampton has pleaded guilty to fire safety offences following a blaze in March 2011.

On February 23rd, Joseph Dorrington appeared at West Hampshire Magistrates Court to plead guilty to seven offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Following an inspection of the property, a number of safety issues were revealed including the failure of the fire alarm, blocked fire exits, sub-standard fire doors and damaged electrical sockets and exposed wiring.

Mr Dorrington was fined a total of £7,600 for these breaches, as well as for failing to provide information to Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service when requested.

Mick Crennel, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service area manger, claimed that landlords have a "duty" to ensure the safety of tenants in their homes.

He said: "We will continue to work with our partner agencies and landlords to protect our communities and take necessary steps to ensure their continued safety, however, as a last resort, we will continue to take robust action through the legal system against those landlords that do not take their responsibilities seriously."

Posted by Ryan Stevens of the FIA

Twenty elderly residents had to be evacuated from a care home in London after a fire started in a laundry room.

London Fire and Rescue Service were called to Elmglade Nursing Home in Sutton at around 4pm yesterday afternoon (20th February), reports the Sutton Guardian.

A total of 20 firefighters arrived at the incident to tackle the small scale blaze, which took less than an hour to get under control.

One resident and one member of staff had to be rescued by firefighters from the first floor, while another resident had to be treated by for a cut to the leg.

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, a 'suitable and sufficient' fire risk assessment must be conducted on all commercial properties in England and Wales.

If the fire risk assessment is deemed to be carried out to an insufficient extent, the Responsible Person can face an unlimited fine or a prison sentence of up to two years.

An investigation has been launched into the cause of the fire.

Posted by Ryan Stevens of the FIA