AN investigation is underway following a huge fire at a derelict hotel in Newquay in the early hours of Sunday.

Police are working on the theory that trespassers caused the blaze at the former Narrowcliff Hotel, which erupted at about 3.30am.

Appliances from Newquay, Perranporth, St Dennis, Tolvaddon, and Mevagissey attended the scene along with two aerial ladder platforms from Newquay and Truro. Road closures were put in place until about 1pm while firefighters got the blaze under control.

The incident follows a fire in a derelict terraced property next to the former Narrowcliff Hotel on Tuesday, July 22.

A murder investigation was launched after the body of a man in his thirties was discovered in the building. A 33-year-old man from Bolton arrested on suspicion of murder was released on police bail pending further enquiries.

The Narrowcliff Hotel and the terraced property are part of developer Salboy’s plans to knockdown the buildings along with the Hotel Bristol and Narrowcliff Surgery and construct 143 new dwellings in three separate buildings over five storeys.

Cllr Joanna Kenny, the chairman of the Derelict Building Working Group, which is putting pressure on owners of dangerous derelict properties in the town to make them more secure, believes the Narrowcliff Hotel will have to be demolished.

Cllr Kenny, the Cornwall councillor for Newquay Central, said: “The fire at the Narrowcliff Hotel was our worst fears realised. This is what we anticipated.

“This complex is very worrying but it’s not the only building where we have similar concerns.

“While the other buildings in the Hotel Bristol development did not seem to be affected by the fire this building looks pretty unstable so I doubt if its demolition can be avoided. Expect some restrictions on the road and the pavement until that happens.

“It’s no coincidence we set up again the Derelict Building Working Party in Newquay Town Council to work with the police, Cornwall Council and our MP.

“We will be staging a walkaround 15 sites with the police, which have been identified, to get their view on them.

“The council has very little power over private property. Compulsory purchase is a draconian process and takes two to three years, so it takes too long, and property owners oppose it.

“The best we can do is for the town council to appeal to Cornwall Council to write letters to the building owners to make them more secure and less unsightly.

“We are well aware of the dangers of these properties and this fire at the former Narrowcliff Hotel is typical of this.”