Probe continues into fatal fire at Cameron House Hotel

EMERGENCY services are continuing to investigate the cause of a fire at a luxury hotel in which two guests died.

One person died at the scene of the blaze at Cameron House Hotel on the banks of Loch Lomond on Monday morning and another passed away at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.

Three other people, a family of two adults and a child, were taken to hospital in Glasgow but have since been discharged.

More than 70 firefighters were involved in fighting the blaze at the five-star hotel after the alarm was raised at around 6.40am on Monday.

Fire services remain at the scene of the blaze with seven units still in attendance on Tuesday morning.

The cause of the fire is not yet known but the roof of the hotel has been extensively damaged.

Speaking on BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme, John Gow of forensic group International Fire Investigators and Consultants said making the building safe would be the priority in the early stages of an investigation.

He said: “It’s very difficult to put a precise figure on how long an investigation can take because it may get to a stage where the investigators make a decision where, due to structural safety issues, they cannot enter the property.

“And they may have to establish a supposed cause based on the circumstantial evidence that is provided.”

The hotel is a popular wedding venue and houses the Michelin starred Martin Wishart at Loch Lomond restaurant.

The resort director, Andy Roger, has offered “deepest condolences” to the families of two guests who died in the fire.

In a statement published on its website on Monday, Cameron House said it will remain closed to for at least the next three days.

It said: “We would ask all guests and customers to remain patient as we work with the emergency services to establish the extent of the damage and ascertain when we will be able to reopen.”