Police treat Grand Burstin hotel fire in Folkestone as suspicious
About 280 to nearly 300 people escaped the Grand Burstin Hotel fire in Folkestone, which police treat as suspicious; no injuries were reported and structural checks continue.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Fire at the Grand Burstin Hotel
A fire broke out at the Grand Burstin Hotel in Folkestone just after 1am, forcing hundreds of sleeping guests to leave the building. The blaze is believed to have started in the basement of the historic seaside hotel. About 280 to nearly 300 people escaped. Guests described flames spreading quickly because of strong wind. One guest said they saw flames licking up in the ballroom from the harbour arm, while another said drains were bellowing with smoke.
Reports said 26 fire engines were called, and 26 fire crews worked to bring the blaze under control. Firefighters worked through the night and later dampened the ashes at the harbourside site. Police are treating the fire as suspicious and have opened an investigation. The cause is still under investigation. No injuries have been reported.
Residents were asked to avoid the area and keep doors and windows shut. Concern about the structural integrity of the building led to a structural engineer being requested and the cordon being extended. A local sports hall was opened as a welfare centre for evacuated guests, where they were sheltered, fed and clothed. Many guests spent a windy night in pyjamas waiting for information.
Guests reported a couple of explosions, which one person guessed may have been cars and gas tanks blowing up in the underground car park. One guest said their car was lost in the blaze. Guests are slowly being reunited with possessions, but hundreds of holidays are on hold while the building's safety is assessed.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|
| The blaze was believed to have started in the basement around 1am. | |||
| 26 fire crews worked to control the blaze. | · | ||
| Kent police treated the fire as suspicious. | · | ||
| Nearly 300 people were evacuated. | · | ||
| A hotel fire overnight led to the evacuation of hundreds of guests, with 26 fire engines responding; guests were taken to a welfare centre and the cause is under investigation. | · | · | |
| A local sports hall was opened for evacuated guests. | · | · | |
| A structural engineer was called over concerns about the building's stability. | · | · | |
| No injuries were reported. | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News gave a short anchor read rather than a reporter package. It focused on the basic facts: the overnight evacuation, 26 fire engines, a suspected basement start just after 1am, a nearby welfare centre, and advice for residents to stay away and keep windows shut. It did not mention police treating the fire as suspicious and quickly moved on to other stories.
- “hundreds of sleeping guests have been evacuated after a fire tore through Folkestone's Grand Burstin Hotel overnight”
- “That 26 fire engines were called to the scene which is believed to have started in The basement just after 1 a.m”
- “Those inside have been evacuated to a nearby welfare center while the cause of the fire is still being Investigated”
ITV1 led with an on-scene package and gave the most detailed account of the evacuation and its aftermath. It reported that Kent police are treating the fire as suspicious, focused on guests who lost belongings and cars, and highlighted concern about the building's structural integrity. It also noted the local sports hall used to shelter evacuees and that hundreds of holidays are on hold.
- “Kent police are treating the fire as suspicious and have opened an investigation.”
- “The blaze broke out at the Grand Burstin in Folkestone just after 1am when most of the guests were asleep.”
- “We are concerned about the structural integrity of the building and we have requested a structural engineer to attend the premises.”
5 News gave brief anchor updates and was the only channel to state that no injuries had been reported. It initially said the cause was under investigation, then later reported that police were treating the fire as suspicious and that structural damage may have weakened the hotel. It carried no guest interviews or detailed scene description.
- “nearly 300 people have been evacuated and moved to safety in Kent After a fire ripped through a historic hotel while people were asleep”
- “No injuries have been reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation”
- “Police are treating a fire at a historic hotel in Folkestone as suspicious.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.