Fire Safety in Holiday Accommodation

Transcription

Protecting the Travel Consumer
Fire Safety in Holiday Accommodation
Consumer Comment on
Fire Safety
In Support of Quality Holiday Travel
Comment on Fire Safety in Holiday Accommodation - HolidayTravelWatch © 2013 1
ITEM:
PAGE NUMBER
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
2
INTRODUCTION TO HOLIDAYTRAVELWATCH
3
THE HOLIDAY SEASON 2012/2013 – FIRE SAFETY CONCERNS
4 to 6
THE HOLIDAYMAKERS EXPERIENCE
7 to 24
THE CSI EU FIRE DIRECTIVE PROPOSALS
25 to26
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX 1 – THE CSI EU FIRE DIRECTIVE PROPOSALS
27
Attached
© HolidayTravelWatch 2013 – Publication of part or the whole
of this report only with the express permission of
HolidayTravelWatch. Permission is however extended to the
EU Commission, EU Parliament, UK Parliament and UK
Government Departments.
Kind permission has been granted by Consumer Safety
International for the inclusion of their report within this report.
Permission for the Consumer Safety International report is
granted as per the permissions stated for HolidayTravelWatch
above only. If a wider circulation of the Consumer Safety
International report is required then prior express permission
must be obtained from Consumer Safety International before
publication of part or whole of their document. © Consumer
Safety International 1999
Date: 30 October 2013
Acknowledgement
It is nearly 9 years since the death of our Founder,
Brenda Wall. Her outstanding determination and
courage, led to a new dialogue between the Consumer
and The Travel Industry. Such dialogue has created a
greater awareness of corporate behaviour and the need
for Safety & Consumer Protections that benefit both the
Consumer and The Travel Industry.
At the time of her death, the issue of Safety and the
challenges to the Package Travel Directive were very
much ‘live’ issues and she was determined that the work
of HolidayTravelWatch would rise to meet the issues at
stake.
This report is dedicated to the memory of Brenda Wall and the many thousands of UK Travel
Consumers who have found themselves at the mercy of Travel Companies and the failure of
State Authorities to act against them!
Introduction to HolidayTravelWatch
HolidayTravelWatch (HTW) has for many years
worked with a diverse number of Organisations and
Campaigners on common issues. Since the late
1990’s we have worked with other campaigners on
the question of safety in holiday accommodation.
This organisation has had a long relationship with
Consumer Safety International (CSI). I am pleased to
report that Consumer Safety International has
agreed to allow HTW to re-produce its own
compelling report into fire safety in holiday
accommodation from 1999; it makes sobering
reading!
HTW is British based consumers organisation founded in 1995. Through 18 years of operation, it
has provided information, advice and assistance to over 250,000 holidaymakers, through its
dedicated helpline and website. This should however be put into context with the 65,000,000
individual trips taken by British Citizens in 20051. It suggests that HTW only receives a small
proportion of all complaints, however, these holiday complaints tend to reflect the more serious
element of contractual, illness and injury difficulties faced by the consumer. HolidayTravelWatch
is entered onto the EU ‘Transparency’ Register – ID Number – 63992152960-122. The
Organisation currently provides information and advice, assisting some 90% of all travel
consumers who contact HTW, to find a resolution to their travel complaint. The remaining
complainants are then given the opportunity to progress toward litigation, through travel law
specialists. It is estimated that more than 90,000 holidaymakers have received such legal
assistance, and have achieved in excess of £20,000,000 in compensation for their holiday
complaints, holiday illness and injuries.
Frank Brehany
Consumer Director/Managing Director
HolidayTravelWatch – 30 October 2013
1
Lord Treisman – FCO Reception March 2006
2
https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/transparency/regrin/consultation/displaylobbyist.do?id=6399215
2960-12
The Holiday Season 2012/2013 – Fire Safety Concerns
In March 2013, HolidayTravelWatch attended, along with other Stakeholders, an event
organised by Linda McAven MEP, to discuss the creation of new EU Law to increase safety in
holiday accommodation.
The topic of that meeting we suggest stemmed from:
1. An earlier EU Parliament document created in 2008 which discussed ‘Safety & Liability
Issues relating to Package Travel’3, and
2. A growing recognition within the EU Commission and the EU Parliament that the route
to European Recovery could be partially achieved by a strong tourist economy. In
recognition of that economy, there has been a growing debate about the quality and
standards found in the holiday product and how to increase quality and safety of that
product.
During the course of the meeting, it was suggested by some that the scope of an allencompassing Directive or Regulation would be too ambitious for the Parliament to achieve, it
was better to choose an area or several areas upon which to create any law.
We offered that if the Parliament was persuaded to take that route, then the topics for
legislation should be:
1. Fire Safety, and
2. Carbon Monoxide
as they are mutually connected through detection systems.
The 2012/2013 holiday season has been peppered with Fire Incidents, some of which can be
found at these links:
1. The Trip Advisor Consumer Discussion of the fire at the Baia Lara Hotel in Turkey4;
3
IP/A.IMCO/FWC/2006-058/LOT 4/C1/SC5
4
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g297962-i772-k6658556-Fire_Baia_Lara_any_infoAntalya_Turkish_Mediterranean_Coast.html
2. AOL News Report on the Fire at the Baia Lara Hotel in Turkey5;
3. Hartlepool Mail report of holidaymaker helping other holidaymakers in hotel fire6;
4. Birmingham Mail report into the Baia Lara Hotel in Turkey7.
Similar reports can be found by typing ‘holiday hotel fire’ into a search engine; that form of
enquiry will also reveal other incidents prior to 2012.
During the 2012/2013 holiday season, HTW has received a large number of calls from
holidaymakers who are either concerned about Fire Safety issues or have been unfortunate to
experience Fire in their hotel.
One fire in Turkey saw over 150 people contacting HTW and most have now formed into a
Group Action, as they have failed individually to achieve answers to their questions nor suitable
compensation for their experiences.
The range of complaints is as wide as they are varied and stem principally from locations in Italy,
Majorca and Turkey (from the information that has been provided to us, there has been more
than one hotel fire in Turkey). The complaints we have received from holidaymakers include the
following:
1. Ash exposure;
2. Being directed toward the source of the fire by hotel staff;
3. No refreshments provided or items provided to keep warm outside;
4. Soot exposure;
5. Late arrival of the local fire service (35-40 minutes after fire started);
6. Holidaymakers being denied their request for fire safety report;
7. Holidaymakers being denied their request for fire safety policies;
8. Failure by hotel management to respond to questions about the cause of a fire;
5
http://m.travel.aol.co.uk/2013/07/10/brits-flee-brand-new-turkish-hotel-after-it-catches-fire/
6
http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/local/hartlepool-cop-saves-holidaymakers-in-turkey-15841576
7
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/birmingham-holidaymakers-forced-fleeturkey-4912375
9. Plastic fumes;
10. Holidaymakers finding themselves in pitch black conditions;
11. Thick acrid smoke;
12. ‘Electric’ escape exit would not open;
13. Holidaymakers searching floors of hotel for relatives during the fire;
14. Confusion;
15. Holidaymakers returning to burning building to search for relatives;
16. No sign of staff;
17. No fire alarms;
18. Fire alarms broken;
19. No emergency lighting;
20. Fire exits blocked;
21. Holidaymakers sick with smoke inhalation not receiving attention;
22. Asthma and Heart Surgery holidaymakers not receiving attention following exposure to
smoke;
23. No illumination of fire exit signs;
24. Lack of knowledge as to location of fire exits;
25. No directional signs as to emergency exit – holidaymakers ran into smoke filled area;
26. Holidaymakers from opposite hotel shouting warnings to holidaymakers in fire hotel to
get out;
27. Holidaymakers using iPhones & iPads to illuminate exits;
28. Stairways became congested with people;
29. Families separated – holidaymakers heard cries for help;
30. Holidaymakers advised to return to the hotel shortly after fire extinguished;
31. Holidaymakers concerned as to toxin exposure – not supplied with any information for
onward use with health practitioners;
32. Fire alarms in a state of disrepair;
33. Fire alarms allegedly turned off;
34. Some holidaymakers slept through fire emergency;
35. Reports of one fire engine only being available in one major resort.
What follows is the experience of those holidaymakers!
The Holidaymakers Experience
When compiling reports for ‘government’ and ‘legislators’, HTW has a long history of bringing
the Consumers own words into any such report.
In presenting these views, we have also established the practice of not naming travel
companies, hotels or complexes. We have adopted this practice because we believe that the
Consumer experience, the personal experience, should not suffer from the distraction of a
‘name and shame’ strategy; such a strategy is often counter-productive!
We consider that it is better to highlight failings of product, practice or procedure.
It is correct therefore, in such a volatile product failing, that we should listen, examine and
conclude from those who have experienced the terror of a fire within a hotel complex.
The words used are directly from holidaymakers and are a combination of HTW Interviews, E
Mails and Letters we have received.
Where letters or e mails are re-produced, we have not sought to correct spelling or grammar
except to help clarify a point that is being made.
The stories presented by no means represent the total number of complaints received, but have
been chosen to represent a broad spectrum of those complaints received.
The complaints received have been extracted from the period of between September 2012 and
October 2013.
In total we present 16 holidaymakers stories.
The experiences stem from visits to Italy, Majorca and Turkey.
“They say that the fire then was in the kitchen, but this fire destroyed the whole of the
spa on the ground floor, the spa was next to reception !!The [NAME] family were on the
3rd floor with 2 children 3yrs and 7yrs, luckily [NAME] is a fireman and had noted the
exits, thank goodness as it was pitch black
[NAME] will write a detailed report and send it to [TOUR OPERATOR NAME] and HTW
Travel Agency – [TOUR OPERATOR NAME], flew with [NAME OF AIRLINE].
Fire in hotel at 4.50 am. Evacuated family due to another resident raising the alarm by
shouting fire. smoke detectors not present. Another resident smashedDate:
the alarm
on 2013
30 October
floor 2 and the alarm didn't work. No power so the corridors were in darkness”. (HTW
Interview – 23/10/13 – Turkey)
“There was a fire next to her room, thick black smoke came into her room. She reported
this to staff, but they refused to move her to a new hotel room. Our client complained
to them, they replied that the fire had been put out. A man in the room next to our
client woke up choking, but they wouldn't more him either.
The next day, she found thick black ash all over the surfaces,including all over her
clothes, our client requested the room to be cleaned, but they said they wouldn't clean
it.
[NAME] reported it to her rep. When she got back from holiday,she wrote a letter of
complaint to [TOUR OPERATOR NAME] (couldn't get through on phone). They wrote
back 4 weeks later, saying that she would have a response within a month. 7 weeks
later, she still had no response. Our client has called them up in the past few days,
they've said that they will only give feedback to the hotel.
Our client wanted [TOUR OPERATOR NAME] to pay for the dry cleaning bills, they
advised that she needed to get it off her holiday insurance.
[NAME] has spoken to [TOUR OPERATOR NAME] but had no written answer , she asked
why no fire alarm did not go off , and was told that in Majorca they do not have alarms
in the room , only in the corridors, and accidents happen, they will only be sending
reports to hotel and not to her.
Fire happened on the 28/08/2013, she did report the situation to her rep but was given
nothing in writing and her room was still not changed or cleaned , during the
conversation she had with [TOUR OPERATOR name] the guy told her that he can see the
rep has written a report
Client was only asking for her dry cleaning bill to be paid, [TOUR OPERATOR NAME]
advised she should claim it from her insurance (HTW Interview – 23/10/13 – Majorca)
“The client said that during the early hours of 16 October at around 03.00 and 04.00 his
wife woke as she heard a bang in the corridor. She then heard a scream shouting fire
and trapped. The client went on to the balcony and could hear people shouting. She
immediately woke her husband and called reception to report that she thought the
hotel was on fire. The receptionist said that they knew and to get out.
The client said that they opened the door and was hit by thick black smoke. They felt
there was to the main stairs which was about 8-9 steps. They were on the third floor
and ran down the stairs to the main reception where people were running around.
However, this was towards the fire as he found out the fire was in the spa. He said that
they should never have been allowed to run towards the fire and congregate around it.
He said that the staff were like headless chickens with no organisation or fire
procedures in place.
The client said that the hotel manager eventually arrived in his Porsche. He ran inside
and then immediately ran back out and waited around like everyone else. They were
provided with no information. The fire brigade arrived after around 35-40 minutes after
they had exited the hotel.
The client said that eventually people started to wander towards the pool area and the
hotel staff opened the bar and provided water and hot drinks. Table cloths were
provided to keep warm, particularly for the children. The client said that they did not
see a rep for around 3 hours after they got out of the hotel. No information was
provided.
Around 3½ hours after the fire, the fire brigade said that the hotel was safe and that
they could all go back in their rooms. The client went back to their room and said that as
soon as the door was opened they were hit with a strong smell of smoke and the room
was covered in black soot. He said that there was no way it was habitable They went
back to see the rep who arranged for them to stay in the apartments opposite the hotel.
The client said that all of their belongings were covered in black smoke and so the hotel
arranged for these to be sent away to be cleaned and they were without any clothes for
2 days….
The day after the fire the client went to speak to the rep as he was angry that there had
been no fire alarm, no smoke alarm and no emergency lighting. He was also angry that it
had taken the reps 3 hours to arrive and no information provided. He asked for a copy of
the fire report but this was refused. He then asked for a copy of the fire procedures/drill
for the hotel but again this was refused. He said any question in relation to the fire was
blanked. They were however given feedback forms”. (HTW Interview – 22/10/13 –
Turkey)
“The client said that there was a power cut although this was very short. She went onto
the balcony to have a cigarette and saw smoke. She contacted reception who advised
her that it was an issue with air conditioning and nothing to worry about. The client got
back into bed and there was another power cut although this time the power never
came back on. She again went onto the balcony and noted that this time there was
more people around and people in the hotel opposite shouting. She called reception and
again was told to stay in her room it was a small fire and nothing to worry about.
At this time her partner came in and shouted that they had to get out as there was a
fire. Their daughter was awake by now and panic set in. The corridor was full of smoke
and it was pitch black.
The client said that they had friends in the next room with a baby and so banged on
their door to wake them and assist them in getting out of the hotel. The client said there
was no emergency lighting, and no fire alarms going off. The group managed to find the
emergency exit although this was not lit up. They came down the stairs and the further
down you went the thicker the smoke. Her daughter and partner was started to struggle
and cough. They went down to the lobby which is where the stairs ended and found that
they could not get out of the electric doors as they would not open. The client said
everyone was in complete panic and someone mentioned the auditorium. She believes
that they came back up on level and came out at the auditorium. Once outside her
daughter was in a terrible state and being sick. Her partner was coughing badly and felt
very nauseous.
The client said that her partner's brother and family who were on the 6th floor could not
be found and so he went back in to try and get them. Nobody stopped him although due
to the smoke was only able to get to the 5th floor before having to come back.
The client said that at this point there was no sign of a rep or management of the hotel.
However she said that the entertainment staff did assist in providing water and
blankets, etc.
The client said that it was another 2-3 hours before any reps could be seen and initially
this was just the foreign reps. She said it was like the British guests had been left till last
or that their reps were not taking the situation seriously”. (HTW Interview – 12/9/13 –
Turkey)
“I have to say that I am very shocked at their response! Their explanation of what
happened on the night of the 8 July is simply untrue. And indeed folk have been hurt –
perhaps not in the way they perceive this, but we are all to some extent experiencing
psychology problems.
“[TOUR OPERATOR NAME] is aware of a small fire… Some smoke entered the hotel”
The hotel was filled with thick black smoke from the generator. There was no audible
fire alarm – folk went around knocking on doors in an attempt to raise the alarm; many
others will provide evidence of this; there was no emergency lighting and my son and
his family were on the third floor and they had to make their way out through smoke
filled corridors; again many others will provide evidence of this.
“No customers or staff were injured”
Young children were being sick around us. My grandchildren were distraught. My
eldest grandson, aged 8, still has nightmares – he has to sleep with the light on at all
times and is scared to death of the possibility of a power cut. My 6 year grandson was
screaming that his daddy was going to die because he went back into the hotel to make
sure his parents, siblings and their partners and children were out safe and well; I
thought this was a brave if not a foolish act! ……….But why was there no one there to
stop him returning into the hotel?
Four [TOUR OPERATOR NAME] holiday advisers arrived at the hotel to provide support
to customers within an hour.
We didn’t see a rep until some hours later. We had to sleep outside for nearly 5 hours
until the travel company moved us to another hotel….
We were NOT moved as a precaution – we were moved because the hotel was unsafe.
We returned the next day to simply pack our belongings – there was a strong smell of
smoke everywhere; a clean- up job was in process; the carpets were black and pool
area had a black film everywhere and this is some distance away from the main
reception area.
Sorry I could go on…”. (EM – 8/8/13 – Turkey)
“She advised that as it was the last night the children were all in bed. She advised that
there was a power cut at 10.30 and another one around midnight. The client said that
she was alerted to the fire by her daughter who had noticed smoke and advised them
all to evacuate the hotel. Even at that point the client said the smell of the smoke was
horrendous and they had to cover their faces so not to breathe it in. The client asked
the receptionist when running past and was advised fire - get out.
The family went out through the front and down towards the drive way moving
further and further down. They witnessed children and adults being sick and there was
a lot of screaming and shouting. The client stated that there was no [TOUR OPERATOR
NAME] rep around and after about 1 hour the entertainment staff came down to
advise everyone to go to the amphitheatre. They were provided with water, towels
and blankets.
The client said that other tour companies from Germany were available and speaking
to their guests. Her daughter in law speaks fluent German and therefore was picking
up messages that they were being moved accommodation. The client tried to find
there rep but it was about 2 to 3 hours and she had not seen anyone and was asking
around for them. It was around this time that the client finally found her other son, his
partner and her grandson - they were on the 3rd floor. [TOUR OPERATOR NAME] staff
arrived at approximately 04.30. It was a local young man and she believes a young girl.
She spoke to the [TOUR OPERATOR NAME] staff and advised that they had small
children and a set of twins who had undergone heart surgery - they were born at 26
weeks and as their lungs had not developed fully made them very prone to infection
and the smoke could have a serious impact on their health. However, they were just
told no, not yet, no not yet.
At around 05.00 they were advised that they would be moving accommodation for the
night. They were asked to go back and get an overnight bag only. The client said that
the smell was horrendous and there was black soot/a film over everything in the
lobby/reception, walking to their room, in their room and on looking outside it was the
same”. (HTW Interview – 8/8/13 – Turkey)
“She advised that she went to her room on the 5th floor earlier than the rest of the
group as her son [NAME] was tired – [PERSONAL DATA REDACTED]. She said
sometime after midnight she was in bed and there had been a power cut. As on this
occasion the lights did not come back on her partner [NAME] came up to check on
them. He went to the balcony to see what was going on and could see people
gathering around the front of the hotel. Their door was then banged and the client
opened it to have a torch shined in her face. Nothing was said. The client said that
this shocked her and took her back a bit. She shut the door and then immediately
opened it again and was hit by a smell of smoke and people running past shouting
fire. She grabbed her son and her partner and they started to follow the rest of the
guests. There was no emergency lighting and no exit signs lit up directing you to the
stairs, etc. The client had to rely on others and just followed. It was sheer panic not
knowing if they were running into the direction of the fire or away from it. The smoke
was thick and they had to cover their mouths as you could taste it and they were
beginning to cough as it hit their chests. The client heard someone shout towards an
exit and the client and family followed and ran out towards the front of the hotel.
The client said that they were waiting around with no information, no reps or hotel
management. She was very worried for the rest of her family who slowly did come
down”. (HTW Interview – 6/8/13 – Turkey)
“At approx 1.00 am on the 9th, Tuesday, I was awoken by shouting from outside the
hotel. On opening the French doors I could see that the grounds were in darkness,
and people were moving round the grounds with torches. Shouting was heard, people
frantically shouting "fire". Our room on the top, 7th, floor, no fire alarm was heard.
The corridor outside was full of acrid smoke. My wife and son had to be shook awake,
and ran out of the room, bare footed, to "be led" by a young member of the Turkish
staff. My son had to push something out of his way to go down the internal fire exit.
Total darkness, the lights of mobile phones and iPads barely making an impression.
The fumes got worse as we went down. Total panic. No idea as to what floor or
where the fire was. We exited onto the first floor roof running to the main entrance.
The scene was horrible, people crying, babies screaming, families separated, not
something I want to witness again”. (Letter – 1/8/13 – Turkey)
“5 minutes after being in bed there was a power cut for around 20 seconds. The 20
minutes later they heard banging on the doors and people running around the
corridors. Initially they thought it to be teenagers and so the client had a look out of his
door. When he looked it was dark and full of smoke. This would be around 12.15. He
immediately panicked and put on a dressing gown as did his wife. They had no time for
shoes or any clothes, etc. He said that they had no idea where to go as they had only
been at the hotel a few hours and therefore did not know where the emergency exists
were. They followed other guests and what he believed to be a member of staff with a
light on his phone down the stairs to the ground floor. He said that the smoke was so
thick that they had to put their dressing gowns over their face/mouths.
It was then that they could hear people screaming and crying, ambulances, fire brigade
and police. He said it was manic and there appeared to be no organisation just people
running everywhere. They ran from the hotel down to the beach. At this point he had
not seen a rep from [TOUR OPERATOR NAME].
Around 3.5 hours later they were advised by a rep that they should go to the bar area
around the pool. No further information was provided. He said that staff were serving
drinks and providing towels for people.
At around 05.30 the client was advised by a rep to go back to the hotel and collect bare
essentials.
The rep advised the group that the fire was due to a generator that was 7 years old.
However she stated that there were fire and smoke alarms. The client said that he did
not hear anything and also added that there was no emergency lighting in place”. (HTW
Interview – 30/7/13 – Turkey)
The power went off and so she used her phone to read. However it did not come back
on but the client did not think this was unusual as there were often power cuts.
Around 10 minutes later there was banging on her door and she could hear people
shouting fire, fire. The client believes this was other guests as there was no
management or staff to be seen after this.
The client went into immediate panic mode and woke her daughter. It was all in
darkness and there was no emergency lighting, no fire alarm or smoke alarm. She said
people were shouting and screaming and running down the stairs feeling their way and
following others. She said she held on tight to [NAME] petrified that she would lose her.
The smoke was getting thicker the further down the stairs she went. It was difficult to
see. The client said that in fact they ran down too many flights of stairs and ended up in
the lobby were the smoke was really thick….
She quickly ran back up one flight and came out of the emergency exit into reception.
She recalls this exit being blocked with boxes that maybe bottled or cartons of juice
would be delivered in.
They ran out to the front of the hotel. At first she did not know which hotel was on fire
as the hotel opposite people were screaming and shouting - but she then realised they
were trying to alert guests in the hotel”. (HTW Interview – 16/7/13 – Turkey)
At the time of the fire, the client said that they family were in bed with her husband and
daughter being asleep. She said that she is a very light sleeper and as the power never
came back on after a power cut as normal she went out to the balcony. She said she
could see smoke. She woke her husband daughter who went out to investigate whilst
she stayed in the room.
As they were returning hotel staff were knocking doors to alert guests to the fire. At this
point the smoke was not thick and they could make out the emergency exit relatively
easily. She said that their room was on the ground floor where the hotel lobby was so it
was a very quick exit. She believes that they were one of the first out of the hotel as
there was not many people about. She went down on to the drive way of the hotel”.
(HTW Interview – 15/7/13 – Turkey)
“At around midnight on Monday 8 July the client said that he was in bed with his wife.
He advised that is wife woke him up as she could hear a commotion outside. He went
onto the balcony and could see people running and shouting. He looked on the corridor
and could see smoke. He woke his family who came down the stairs from their first floor
room. He said that there was no emergency lighting although at this point the smoke
was not too thick and they could just about see.
He took is family through the main exit where others were gathering. However this
started to get congested blocking the emergency services from entering the building.
The entertainment staff who were trying to assist guests started to move everyone away
from the entrance and moved them up to the amphitheatre. The client said that there
were no reps or management visible at this point.
At the amphitheatre the client said that there were various levels of stress and anxiety
and some people had to seek medical assistance from the ambulances. He said his
family had to look after two German children while the husband took his wife for
assistance as she had collapsed. The children could not speak English and were very
frightened. However he tried to keep the group calm”. (HTW Interview – 15/7/13 –
Turkey)
“Firstly I would just like to begin by saying any statements made here are by no means
whatsoever an exaggeration of the truth of what myself and my partner have been
subject to and been through from the beginning during the middle and a the end of
our “All Inclusive Holiday”. Our experiences are nothing short of appalling totally
shocking and we are filled to the brim with disgust.
At around 10.30 pm the digital temperature monitor said it was 5 degrees Celsius
outside which we thought at the time was funny, but very strange. Then, it must have
been around 11.30 pm there was a complete power cut during which ALL hotels went
into COMPLETE darkness. Luckily in this bar we had candles lit. It only lasted a few
minutes and before midnight we headed to the shop to get some crisps to take back
to our room. Luckily for us, we had the TV, bedside lamp and air con on so it became
apparent at around 12.30 am that there was ANOTHER power cut, this time for much
longer and this made us feel quite apprehensive. I was starting to feel extremely hot,
which at the time I believed was because the air conditioning had stopped (which later
was claimed was on and that was what was pumping in the fumes IT WAS NOT ON).
We heard shouting and hollering from our floor (the 6th) which we thought were
people who had had too much to drink and were just making a fuss over the power
cut. Through instinct my boyfriend went out of our room and saw the smoke on our
floor, hot and smelling of burning rubber/plastic. Once he looked over the indoor
balcony he could not see a thing because one huge cloud of black noxious smoke was
rising up inside the building. At this point he ran into out room we picked up our
passports and phones and ran to the stairs (my boyfriend had noticed these during out
stay, they had never been pointed out to us).
However, we did not know where they led to and just assumed and prayed at this
point that they would lead us outside to safety. As we entered the stairwell we were in
PITCH BLACK, no lights, no emergency torches on the walls, nothing except for the faint
lights from our phones, which were almost out of charge, we were going to charge
them when we went to bed, but for obvious reasons never got the chance.
It amazes us that we or any of the other guests didn’t fall down the stairs in the
darkness and injure themselves or worse. You could not see a thing. As soon as my
boyfriend noticed there was no door to the outside, a wave of pure panic swept over
us as the only “way out” was through the inside of the building through the lobby!!
People often ask the question what must it feel like in the moments before you know
you are going to die. I do not think this will every leave us having known exactly what
that moment feels like. All I could do was hold my partner’s hand with the only
consolation I felt was knowing that we would die holding each other.
Once we reached the bottom, we had no idea what was awaiting us, and all the way
down the stairs we didn’t even know if the hotel could have blown up at any second,
glass could have smashed over us and the flames could have engulfed us….
We had no idea what the outcome would be. We just kept going with blind faith.
Once we reached the bottom my partner touched the door with the back of his hand, it
was not hot. Once opened we could not even see each other it was pure black noxious
smoke we knew we had to hold hands tightly as to not lose each other, as we could not
see a step in front of us, we could just hear desperate cries for help. As we kept moving
forward we realised we were in the lobby, we passed ONE security guy (NO OTHER
MEMBER OF STAFF WAS TO BE SEEN ANYWHERE THROUGHOUT THIS WHOLE ORDEAL).
We managed to make our way out. At this point I was nearly blue as I am asthmatic,
and was seriously struggling to breathe and was getting very lightheaded. I also have
recently developed an inner ear condition called Eustachian tube dysfunction and
breathing in the smoke and fumes through my sinuses caused me to get extreme
tinnitus, popping ears, earache and impaired hearing. Some of which has got worse
since my return to the UK.
I did not feel a second of relief for us finally getting out of the building as it was just as
bad outside smoke wise. We could hear blood curdling screams as ear splitting
explosions were going off from inside the building. These sounds and this disaster were
so traumatic and heart breaking they will be with me for the rest of my life.
All I could think as we made a bid for escape that there could still be people inside
suffocating asleep and trapped or being burned alive. We could see children hanging
out of their balconies, people having panic attacks and being sick. NO ALARMS WENT
OFF, NO SPRINKLERS, NO EMERGENCY LIGHTING, NO HELP. Absolute pandemonium.
We later found out that because no one could see for smoke or hear for the screams,
entire families were separated and could not find each other. We headed towards the
beach as with water it seemed the most feasible option, but the nearer we got the
thicker the smoke, as we walked we could not even see the swimming pools or the sea.
Unbelievably dangerous and absolute miracle no one got hurt, that we know about of
course. It was at this point that I rang my mum to explain the situation but knew that I
had to say goodbye and that I loved her and the family not knowing if this would be the
last time we heard each other’s voice my boyfriend did the same with his parents. At
this point this catastrophe impacted on our families back home who were powerless to
help.
Also at this point I tried to alert as many nearby English speaking holidaymakers that we
only had two choices, to go towards the beach where there was water and away from
the hotel BUT this could be fatal as the smoke was as thick there as it was back in the
building OR gather at the amphitheatre near the front of the building where a fire could
start BUT AWAY from the smoke and near emergency services. Smoke is as deadly as
fire. With no staff ANYWHERE to be seen, it was down to us and our survival instincts
to pick from these 2 options, both of which could have ended lives but was our only
hope….
As we made our way to the amphitheatre we were shouted at by an older couple we
met on holiday earlier and we walked together, finding fellow Brits along the way, the
majority of holidaymakers gathered at the amphitheatre. Here with pounding hearts
we could see people ranging in all ages from the very elderly to babes in arms. One of
the most frightening and eerie memories of our hours upon hours at the amphitheatre
was the silence which was mass shock and disbelief. I don’t even think I heard a single
baby or child cry.
This was so petrifying, we should have all have felt technically safe at this point, but we
all knew full well we were by no means out of the woods yet. NO STAFF EXCEPT
MAIDS/TRAINEES giving out linen for warmth for the shock, although we and many
others got given pillow cases.
The whole thing had been like movie, everyone said so, the sort of unbelievable
catastrophe en masse that even Spielberg couldn’t recreate. This movie unfortunately
was not in our minds. After seeing the Fire engine, which was so small it looked like a
child’s toy, leaving after around 2-3 hours, the entertainment team stood on stage in
the amphitheatre and told us to wait for our respective reps to come and gather the
guests from their travel agencies. No one came for us or any of the other [TOUR
OPERATOR NAMES] holidaymakers including children approximately 30 of us!
We decided, like most, to go to the toilet and gather and wait at the white bar which
was an outside bar. Reps came and collected their guests. No [TOUR OPERATOR
NAMES] rep from England EVER CAME.
After not being able to wait any longer we headed back to the burning building to battle
through the smoke to try in vain to find our reps. We got told by a rep from another
company [TOUR OPERATOR NAME] that our reps were at the hotel. Appalling.
We finally found, after searching frantically to find [NAME], one of our reps, and again
[NAME] (who had proven even less than useless) and even more shockingly said that
our group should still wait in the lobby whilst he found out what he should announce
happens next. WHAT SERIOUSLY! Inside a still smoking building that the fire brigade
unbelievably allegedly deemed fit for purpose as was told by our reps.
People, including us, were close to collapse from smoke inhalation, shock and
exhaustion, were made to WAIT INSIDE?? NO. We had to sit outside in the smoke to try
and get “fresh air” whilst still popping back in to try and find [NAME] as he sure as hell
was not going to try to find us. After about 30 mins he told us to go back into our rooms
to collect overnight things/medication as we should be back staying at the hotel the
next day(?).
The smoke was chronic on every floor and we felt ill and headachy just by going up and
getting our bare essentials….
As we went to go back down the stairs, the entertainment staff asked where we were
going and that there was no reason for us to leave and that we should go back to bed
and rest ?!!!!!
Up until this point, the entertainment staff were amazing and practically run every
aspect of the hotel and were extremely helpful. This statement, unnerved us further as
we did not feel even they had our best interests at heart (probably through what they
were instructed to tell us). We felt that we had no hope.
We were then put into a coach, with the ever helpful [NAME], who just casually asked is
everyone alright or does anyone need any urgent medical help. Well considering we
were out of a burning building and still alive, the only answer was yes we were alright.
This was the only medical check ANY of us had. We still have no clue as to what we had
breathed in for all those hours, nor the constant running to the toilet, acid reflux,
continued stress up until and beyond writing this literal blow by blow account, the
aggravation to my medical issues and not to mention the post trauma issues yet to come
for everyone. We had no documentation of anything that happened out in Turkey or so
they thought”. (Letter – 15/7/13 – Turkey)
The client advised that during their stay on one night at about 03.45 the client awoke
thinking their alarm was going off. Her husband did not wake as he has a hearing aid in
both ears due to hard of hearing. She looked at the alarm noted the time and lay back
down. However the noise went off again and she sat up and realised it was not coming
from their room. The alarm was happening at regular intervals. She looked out in the
hallway and noticed the ceiling had an alarm that was flashing. She rushed back to her
husband who put some clothes on and they ran to reception.
Initially they could not find anybody and had to bang repeatedly on reception to get any
attention. Eventually a man came out with a phone and torch in his hand. They asked if
he was calling the fire brigade and he said no. By this time another couple of people had
started to arrive in reception after being woken up by the alarm. However this was not
one rush but just intermittently. The tour manager did not arrive straight away as she
had not heard it for sometime. Another couple on the tour slept right through.
The group had to hang around in reception for one hour. Eventually the manager, who
had been called came to the hotel said it was a fault and to go back to bed. However
people were now very jittery. The client said that they did go back to their room but she
did not get undressed or back into bed as the alarm was not working.
The next morning another couple on the tour who were in a different part of the hotel
said that they followed their emergency route and the fire exit was blocked….
The client has been very upset about this incident as she had first hand experienced a
fire whilst in a hotel in Melbourne, Australia and although the evacuation was well
organised it did play on her mind”. (HTW Interview – 28/5/13 - Italy)
“On the first day of our holiday we all went up to the apartment late afternoon to get
ready to go out for the evening ,with two 3 year old children whom were asleep. I heard
noises from outside to which [NAME] came bolting through the bedroom shouting FIRE!
I opened the balcony door to thick black smoke and dark orange flames. English residents
of the hotel came flying into our apartment shouting fire and to get out. We all rushed
out, waking the children, half of us not dressed as we were showering.
No fire alarms or warnings went off at all, if [NAME] or the English residents had not have
noticed and alerted us there was a fire on a balcony outside our windows we would have
not known.
In the end police, fire engines and an ambulance arrived on scene and the fire put out.
We were told by the police and fire brigade that there was NO fire alarm system in place
and NO smoke detectors in our pent house suite!!!!.......
We all did police statements which we have copies off and we have a police mans
number…. The police have a contact number and said they were going to call when an
inspector had been on site but we have not heard anything. It was the electrics from the
Jacuzzi which went on fire and within minutes had started to melt the windows of a
bedroom and the smoke was pouring in. We have taken photos of the vast damage and
the fire alarms which were all duds with no button behind the glass once smashed.
All the fire alarm boxes were smashed on the way down the stairs and NO alarm went
off!!!!???” (EM – 21/9/13 - Majorca)
“At 12.10am we were woken up to loud banging on doors and a lot of shouting at first
we just thought it was drunken behaviour but the banging did not stop so decided to get
up and see what all the noise was about. On opening the door I was greeted by a fellow
holiday maker who informed us that the hotel was on fire and to get out. At the time
there was some thick smoke coming up through the fire escape. We got dressed and
headed to our Daughters room (We had asked for adjoining rooms yes they were on the
same floor but right at the other end of the corridor). By this time the hotel corridor was
filled with thick black smoke and was hard to see where we were going. After banging
on their door for 5 minutes the corridor was really filling up more with smoke and so
went down stairs. Once we had got into reception the receptionist was laughing and
telling us everything was ok and to go back to our rooms which of course we ignored and
went outside to look for our daughters.
On going outside we were met by police and firemen who didn’t speak a word of English
and there was not one member of staff informing us what to do or where to go. We
went and stood on the hotel steps. Whilst there a coach turned up and a family of four
got out and we told them not to go in as the hotel was on fire, the security guy came
over and told them it was ok to go in. After about 20 minutes everyone seemed to be
going back in so we decided to follow them in. The receptionist again still laughing told
us everything was ok and to head back to our rooms. We looked up and saw our friends
sitting in the upstairs bar and decided to go and sit with them and to get a drink of some
kind as you can imagine with all that smoke we were feeling very dry. We begged the
guy behind the bar for a drink but he said no as the All inclusive had finished. He walked
off so in the end another guy and myself went behind the bar and got 3 bottles of water
and some glasses and started to hand them out to other guests. 15-20 minutes later we
couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw a member of staff walking round spraying air
freshener to try and get rid of the smell of smoke. We then saw our daughters walking
over and so they came to join us. They informed us that they had been to town and on
returning was allowed to walk straight in….
Anyway at about 1.20am everyone decided to go back to their rooms. On returning we
opened the door and the room was greeted thick smoke so had to sit with the bedroom
door and balcony door wide open to get rid of all the smoke. My Girlfriend was very
upset and wanted to go home there and then as she felt very frightened and didn’t feel
safe. Eventually I managed to calm her down and got some sleep.
The following morning we were sat around the pool talking to our friends about the fire
when the mother of a family interrupted asking us what we meant by fire so we
explained what had gone off She was furious as they had slept through the whole thing
and no one had banged on their door informing them of the fire. We had a meet n
greet meeting we decided to go and see if we could find the rep and inform him what
had gone on. We found [NAME] and explained about what had gone on and the fears
that we had. He told us to fill out a witness sheet which we did (please see attached)
and that there was nothing he could do as he wasn’t here at the time and that he would
pass on the form and that it was his job to make sure that we enjoyed the rest of our
holiday.
A member of staff later informed us that the fire was down to a deep fat fryer being left
on and that it had eventually exploded.
A few days later we went to meet friends that actually live in Altinkum and they
explained to us that there was only one fire engine in the whole of Altinkum, this is bad
enough but the scary thing is that whilst the smoke and fire was happening NOT once
did the smoke or fire alarm go off NOT once, so if that fire engine had been on another
call god knows what could have happened. Well yes we do, it could have been much
worse and maybe even fatalities. Also in our bedrooms there were smoke detectors
and we tried them out on many occasions and NOT once did they go off.
After talking to a member of staff and a receptionist we were told by both of them
different times that the hotel manager was so tight that he turned OFF the fire alarms
to save on electricity. Yes you read that right turned them OFF”. (Letter – 14/9/2012 Turkey)
The CSI EU Fire Directive Proposals
In March 1999, CSI presented the case for a Fire Safety Directive for Hotels and Apartments in
holiday destinations.
They made their presentation to a wide cohort of stakeholders in Brussels on 23 March 1999.
The agenda for their presentation included the following items:
1. EC Fire Safety Directive Proposal for Hotels and Apartments;
2. Observations of Guests from a Hotel Fire in November 1998;
3. Observations from Burn Victims from a holiday Apartment Fire in December 1998;
4. Results from the inspections and assessments of Atria style hotels;
5. The CSI case for an EC Directive.
The commentary of their report states that they had:
“[a] number of concerns not least the fire dangers which numerous tourists & holidaymakers are
exposed to in EU host countries”.
We would observe that these concerns were founded within the holidaymakers experiences
they presented which not surprisingly mirror the same experiences of those holidaymakers
featured in this report.
It raises the following questions:
1. What exactly is the difference between the experiences of holidaymakers in 1998/9 and
those of 2012/13?
2. Given that some 20 million Package Holidays are sold each year in the UK (we can only
speculate on the actual size of the risk group across Europe), why has there been no
progress on the substantial proposals made by CSI in 1999?
The CSI Report notes that objections to the proposals of a Fire Safety Directive were based
around the ‘unacceptable’ cost implications for hoteliers!
Their report also acknowledges the existence of the EC 1986 Recommendations for Fire Safety in
hotels. CSI was critical of the earlier EC study which concluded that the industry were complying
with the Recommendations, however, they also noted that there was a lack of co-operation
from some EU Member States.
CSI concluded that the EC Recommendations were not capable of being transferred into a
Directive, nor should the provisions of the Workplace Directive be extended to simply cover
Hotels and Apartments.
CSI determined that the best way to manage Fire Safety in Hotels and Apartments was through
the creation of a Fire Safety Directive.
In partnership with Arup Fire, a report was created which highlighted the topical areas in the
creation of any Directive, these were:
1. The categorisation of property;
2. Detailing Fire Safety Issues;
3. Means to avoid the Risk of Fire;
4. Means to Limit Fire and Smoke;
5. Issues concerning the ‘fabric’ of a hotel or apartment;
6. Alarm Systems;
7. Fighting Fire;
8. Escape mechanisms;
9. Staff issues, and
10. Fire escape planning.
The full CSI report is attached to the HTW report at Appendix 1.
Conclusion
In July 2002, our Founder, the late Brenda Wall commented on reports of hotel fires in Majorca,
when she apparently stated:
"Holidaymakers should not be sent to these hotels unless tour operators are confident that
adequate fire-safety measures have been met”8.
It is in many respects shocking that in 2013, we are reporting on a fundamental failure within
hotel accommodation, that of Fire Safety.
How many more reports, how many more proposals will be made or required before standards
in hotel and other holiday accommodation are properly legislated?
This is not the time for ‘light-touch’ Regulation; Consumer groupings have provided enough
warnings about the state of holiday accommodation.
The industry were lucky; the Consumers were lucky – 2012/2013 could have presented a
different story.
We call on the EU Parliament to find the capacity and the resolve to ride over past objections
and create the conditions for a truly safe holiday product.
Frank Brehany
Consumer Director
HolidayTravelWatch
30 October 2013
8
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/724770/Foreign-hotel-blazes-spark-safety-row.html

Fire Safety in Holiday Accommodation

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