It is feared that people could be trapped in the Cornwall hotel fire

There are fears people could be trapped in the Cornwall hotel fire. Earlier today, reports came in that the Hotel California in Newquay had been burnt down.

Dramatic pictures and videos from the scene show huge plumes of smoke and flames rising high above the roof of the abandoned hotel. In a flash, the sound of the raging fire can be heard from some distance away.

It now emerges that people could be trapped inside as Devon and Cornwall Police warn there has been a report from firefighters of “potential people trapped”.

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Devon and Cornwall Police Force Information Manager (FIM) told CornwallLive they received a call at 4.49pm from an off-duty police officer saying the hotel was on fire.

The FIM said police were now at the scene assisting firefighters in closing roads around the hotel.

They added that there was a report of “potential people trapped”, although there was no confirmation that people were currently inside the building. It is understood the concern was raised by firefighters after it emerged the derelict hotel had been used by homeless people in the past.

At this stage, the police have not made any statement regarding the cause of the fire and say that the fire brigade “has priority”, meaning they will remain in charge of the incident for the foreseeable future.

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