Call For ‘Urgent Investigation’ After Cygnet Hotel Fire Response Criticised

An Isle of Wight councillor has called for an “urgent investigation” into the state of the fire service after criticism of its response to the major Cygnet Hotel fire in Sandown earlier this month.

East Cowes Independent councillor Karl Love has written to the Isle of Wight Council’s leadership and senior officers, raising concerns after the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) claimed firefighters were left “scrambling” for resources during the October 18 blaze.

The FBU said five fire engines had to be ferried across the Solent to provide cover for the Island, describing the situation as a “scrapheap challenge approach to running a fire service.”

In an email sent to all councillors, Cllr Love said the union’s report suggested the Island was “currently exposed to significant dangers” and “unable to respond effectively to incidents.”

He wrote:

“An urgent investigation into this by yourself and Silver Group, our emergency planning team, needs to be conducted.

“Councillors and the general public need to be reassured now of the actions being taken to address these matters.

"It makes the replacement of the new East Cowes Fire Station even more urgent to be built.”

Plans for the new East Cowes Fire Station on York Avenue were approved by the Isle of Wight Council last month.

FBU brigade secretary Dave Hunt said:

“There are supposed to be 11 fire engines on the Isle of Wight – but due to cuts, most of those sit empty.

“Residents have a right to expect that if a fire happens, the right amount of help will come in the right amount of time. Clearly, they can’t count on that.”

In response, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) said the first engine arrived at the scene within eight minutes, and that standard procedures were followed to bring in cover from the mainland.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Rob Cole said:

“All the resources needed to respond to the incident, bar one fire engine, came from Island stations.

“Moving fire engines to provide fire cover to an area where local resources are dealing with a large incident is standard practice for all UK fire services.”

He added that the service continues to work with the National Fire Chiefs Council to advocate for increased government funding.

Council leader Phil Jordan and committee chair Cllr Karen Lucioni have been contacted for comment.