The Penhallow Hotel was situated on Island Crescent in the surfing town of Newquay, Cornwall, United Kingdom. It was a well-known hotel for holiday makers ranging from families to older residents. The hotel was built sometime between 1912 and 1917 and had been altered several times during its operation as a hotel. The building had a wooden fire escape at the rear, and a central light shaft running from the ground floor up to the roof in the centre of the hotel. Both of these aspects of the building played a dramatic role in the outcome of the fire. The Penhallow Hotel fire was reported as the worst hotel fire in the UK in nearly 40 years.^[2][3]

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penhallow Hotel fire