After Liverpool’s Hard Day’s Night Hotel went ablaze early this afternoon, firefighters were still performing security checks and businesses were still experiencing disruption on Thursday night.
A fifth floor luxury apartment suite in the Beatles-themed hotel caught fire at approximately 1.15pm on Thursday and firefighters rushed to the scene to tackle the blaze and aid with the evacuation process.
Fire engines were still at the scene and the crane appliance used to deal with the emergency earlier in the afternoon was still in use long after the flames had been extinguished.
It is believed that Merseyside Fire & Rescue had to tear down a section of the hotel roof in order to access the penthouse and tackle the fire before it spread to lower floors of the Grade II-listed building.
North John Street, where the Hard Day’s Night Hotel is situated, was cordoned off to traffic and pedestrians, causing huge disruption to local transport links and businesses because of the safety hazards. Bus routes from Liverpool One to the junction with Cook Street were most affected.
Luke Crawford, who works in a nearby Subway that was evacuated, told JMU Journalism: “Business for us basically stopped as soon as it happened. Financially, businesses lost out, but it is necessary when a fire breaks out in a building of that size.
“It’s just fortunate that no one was seriously injured and such an iconic building has been saved from more serious damage.”
A police officer at the scene told JMU Journalism that road blocks were only in force late into the evening as a precautionary measure: “The fire has been dealt with as you can see, but with numerous fire engines still at the scene, and a crane still in operation, the fire staff don’t want to take any unnecessary risks.
“We hope to resolve the issue soon as we can already see the hassle it has caused for people coming home from work and anyone who travels through this area of the city.”
Additional reporting by Calum Metcalfe