MORE than 40 guests staying at a hotel were evacuated yesterday (Sunday) after a blaze broke out on the top floor.

Crews from Stevenage, Hitchin and Welwyn Garden City were scrambled at around 11.30am to Premier Inn in Six Hills Way, Stevenage, to tackle the fourth floor fire.

The blaze, believed to have been started accidentally by an electrical fault in an air conditioning unit, was extinguished by 12.16pm.

No-one was injured as a result of the incident, with guests and staff taken to a place of safety in a nearby car park.

Due to the nature of the call, the trusts hazardous area response team was also deployed and an aerial platform sent to the scene, although no guests were found to be trapped in the building.

Sid Foreman, crew commander for Red Watch Stevenage, said: “The fire crews worked hard and managed to keep the fire confined to the room of origin, and the blaze was under control at 12.16pm. The room was severely damaged by fire and smoke, and the rest of the fourth floor also suffered from smoke damage.”