Good Friday fire at Plymouth hotel
The 210-bedroom Moat House hotel in Plymouth was evacuated early on Good Friday morning after a fire was discovered on the 11th floor of the 14-storey building.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /?>
About 230 guests and staff fled the building as 70 firemen, many wearing breathing apparatus, tackled the blaze which started in the Devonport Suite lounge and bar.
Inspector Ken Turner of Devon and Cornwall Police said the alarm was raised at 5.15am but there were no reported casualties.
It took fire crews three hours to bring the blaze under control and several floors of the hotel were badly damaged by smoke.
The guests were put up at the nearby Yardarm and Strathmore hotels.