Fire closes Folkestone hotel
Folkestone's Garden House Hotel is expected to remain closed for at least 12 months after suffering devastating fire and water damage last weekend.
Forty staff and guests were evacuated when the fire broke out in the 48-bedroom property at 1.15pm on Saturday 10 July. It took 60 firemen and 12 pumps three hours to put it out.
While investigations intothe cause continue, manager Mohammed Elsherbini said it was not thought to be malicious.
The fire is believed to have started in the roof, and to have been electrical in origin.
The fire devastated the roof and top floor, while the rest of the hotel suffered water damage from more than one milliongallons used to quench the flames.
The cost of the damage has yet to be assessed, Elsherbini said, but could exceed £500,000.
