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Historic hotel caught in fire looted a day later

Chris Dearden
BBC News
BBC Emergency workers can be seen stood in a road with a police cordon around the area. There are fire engines parked with one using an extension to lift firefighters into the air close to the roof of the hotel. Houses and a cliffside can be seen through the mist in the background behind the burning hotel.BBC
An aerial ladder was deployed by the service to get firefighters closer to the blaze

The owners of a historic hotel that had been severely damaged by a fire have said it was "looted" a day after the blaze.

There were flames shooting through the roof of the Queens Hotel, in Blaenau Ffestiniog, on Saturday after a fire broke out in the attic leaving its residents homeless.

The hotel's owners have said that on Sunday night, property was stolen from the building, even though the building was still a danger to those who go inside.

North Wales Police said they were investigating the theft and are examining the CCTV footage that has been provided by the hotels owners.

Firefighters were called to the Queens Hotel at 11.09 BST on Saturday, with six fire crews attending, along with an aerial ladder.

They said the building suffered 100% fire damage to the second floor and roof space, which included attic rooms.

The first floor was also extensively damaged by water used to tackle the flames.

Two days after the fire, the hotel's Facebook page published a post stating that the CCTV footage was with police after the building was looted.

"[There is] security at the building tonight and not only is the building dangerous, as a family we've lost everything, do you really want to be the person that takes the last little bit we have?

"Can people please let us know if there is anyone in there seen without a hard hat.  We will be pressing charges," the post added.

Firefighters spray water onto a building while perched on an aerial ladder with the mountainside of the area seen in the mist behind them.
Local councillor Elfed Wyn ap Elwyn said the fire was "heart-breaking"

Cyngor Gwynedd Councillor Elfed Wyn ap Elwyn previously said the hotel was used for conducting meetings and "it's a place where a lot of people in need of a home live".

The Queen's Hotel dates to 1867. It was renovated by Punch Taverns in 2012 before being taken over by local business people in 2020.

North Wales Police and the fire service have launched an investigation into the incident to identify the cause of the blaze.