Hilton hotel at Surfers Paradise evacuated after fire broke out on roof
A Surfers Paradise hotel with more than 400 guests was evacuated early on Friday morning after two fires broke out. Six fire crews responded to the blaze at the Hilton hotel, with the first crew arriving just after 2am, a spokesperson for the Queensland Fire Department said.
On their arrival they found a fire on the roof, with material on fire falling from the roof resulting in the second fire on the hotel’s lower level.
Fire crews were able extinguish the blaze just after 2.30am.
The spokesperson said fire investigators were not required to attend and the investigation was in the hands of Hilton hotel building management.
A Surfers Paradise resident, Ralph Kogler, was woken by a loud bang at 2am on Friday and ran to the window to see the roof of the hotel alight.
“Exploding fragments landed on at least 10 different ledges down the building, making the first impression quite unbelievable, it looked like the whole side of the building was alight,” Kogler said.
He said burning debris had landed on a restaurant on the lower levels of the hotel, and that coffee shop tables and even an umbrella had caught fire.
Police believe the fire was not suspicious but further investigations are under way.