Firefighters are battling a huge blaze at the hotel throughout the night

Firefighters are still at the scene of a huge blaze in Cornwall after battling the blaze throughout the night. Fire crews have been working tirelessly to extinguish the blaze, which broke out yesterday afternoon (Sunday June 30) at the California Hotel in Newquay.

Firefighters had to fight the fire in sections due to the size and poor condition of the building. The roof collapsed at around 7pm and the lack of floorboards meant crews had to fight the flames from outside the hotel.

At 8:49 p.m., almost five hours after the fire department was called, the building was confirmed as “fully alight”. Shortly before midnight, the fire was contained and crews worked to prevent the fire from spreading further.

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Firefighters worked tirelessly yesterday evening and into the night to contain and extinguish the fire. The response was down to just three fire engines as of 6.30am this morning (July 1) and crews remain at the scene.

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Emergency services were alerted to the fire at 3.56pm yesterday after smoke was reported pouring from the windows of the three-storey building. Ten fire engines were called to the blaze on Pentire Crescent after thick black smoke was seen billowing from the building.

Eyewitnesses said they could see smoke from miles away. At the time of the fire, a person said: “The Hotel California is Newquay is currently on fire. I was just out walking the dog – called the fire brigade at 4.15pm – they were on their way. It has now been fully implemented. the whole building goes”.

A statement from the force said: “The initial call at 3.56pm stated there was smoke coming from the windows of the three storey building.

This morning Cornwall Fire and Rescue issued a statement saying: “Crews have been working overnight to ensure good progress is being made. Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service remains at the scene of the incident however attendance has been reduced.”

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police told CornwallLive that there was initially a concern that someone might be trapped in the burning building, but this has not been confirmed. The hotel closed in 2021 and the abandoned hotel is believed to be used by homeless people.

After the hotel closed at the end of 2021, a design and access statement was submitted with the planning application stating that “after years of constant decay, the hotel has become obsolete and in a state of disrepair”.

The development was expected to see the entire hotel complex replaced with a residential development including a 20-apartment building and four semi-detached houses.

The cause of the fire is not yet known. Cornwall Fire and Rescue and Devon and Cornwall Police have been contacted for further information.

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