Guests and staff were evacuated from Liverpool Aigburth Hotel this morning and one person was take to hospital by ambulance
Hotel guests and staff were forced to flee this morning as paramedics as fire crews descended on the scene. Emergency services were seen gathered outside the Liverpool Aigburth Hotel on Aigburth Drive.
Multiple ambulances were positioned outside whilst paramedics were observed examining people near the entrance. Hotel guests informed the ECHO they were instructed to evacuate the premises at approximately 7am this morning following a carbon monoxide leak, with one staff member being affected.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that carbon monoxide levels in the basement were elevated, reports the Liverpool Echo. A spokesperson revealed that one person has been transported to hospital for an unrelated matter.
Among the hotel guests was Darryl McCrary, 60, from Texas. He had travelled to the UK for a retirement break.
He said: “There has been a carbon monoxide leak. We’ve all been checked and have no levels of it in our system. The member of staff was affected but I think he is fine.
“The smoke alarm went off just after 6am but then it went off. I went downstairs to ask what it was and the staff member just said they think someone had been smoking.
“Then around an hour later we were all told to evacuate because carbon monoxide had been detected. I was about to get in the shower when they knocked on the door so I rushed to get dressed and grabbed my suitcase because I knew it had my passport in. I managed to get everything on except my socks, I thought it would take too long to put them on.”
Also gathered outside were Denise Roberts, 67, and her daughter Yvette Roberts, 36, who had travelled to Liverpool from Loughborough to visit their son and brother. Yvette explained: “We’ve been outside for hours but I think everyone is okay. The paramedics have just left.
“We’re here to see my son which has been nice and we’re travelling back down today. We were woken up by the alarm this morning but it went off and we didn’t think anything of it.
“Then they came and told us we had to get out of the building so we all just ran outside. Since then we’ve all been tested and we’re all okay, the only person who tested positive was a member of staff but he seems to be fine.”
One woman who was in the vicinity at the time claimed a staff member had informed her it was a carbon monoxide leak, explaining: “A pipe has exploded and everyone is being checked”.
A fire service spokesperson confirmed: “Fire crews were called to a hotel on Aigburth Drive, Sefton Park, Liverpool this morning after the activation of a Carbon Monoxide alarm.
“Crews were alerted at 6.42am and on scene at 6.49am, with two fire engines in attendance. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the basement area of the three storey building after checking readings with multi gas detector equipment and isolated the gas. The hotel was fully evacuated and all occupants showed no signs of any adverse effects.
“Cadent gas were quickly in attendance and after checking the basement reading for carbon monoxide found them to be high. Fire crews requested the attendance of North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) to provide checks of the evacuated occupants as a precautionary measure.
“Fire crews continued to vent the property and evacuated residents continued to show no signs of adverse effects. Carbon monoxide levels continued to drop and a cadent engineer continued to monitor levels throughout the building.
“NWAS assessed the evacuated occupants and took one person to hospital as a precaution owing to an unrelated issue with all the others fit and well.
“A search of the entire building took place to ensure there were no further occupants in the building, with all rooms checked and cleared.
“After a multi-agency meeting NWAS and MFRS handed over the scene to Cadent for monitoring until levels returned to entirely normal readings. Crews left the scene at 9.45am.”
A NWAS spokesperson said: “One patient was taken to hospital for further treatment.”