Tragic Incident at a Five-Star Hotel in Marrakech
A tragic incident occurred when a recruitment boss, Anthony Barnes, 48, died in a fire at a hotel spa while he was on a group holiday in Morocco. A coroner has ruled that the incident was an accident.
Mr. Barnes was staying at the Jaal Riad resort, a five-star hotel and spa located in Marrakech. He had arrived at the resort on March 22, 2023, for a three-night stay with his colleagues. According to the inquest records, he had booked a massage in the hotel spa and left his colleagues by the pool.
Around an hour later, his co-workers noticed staff running towards the spa building and observed smoke coming from its domed roof. Caroline Jones, Area Coroner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, stated that they saw a man on the roof, apparently unscrewing panels to let the smoke out.
Unable to find Mr. Barnes outside, his colleagues walked around the spa building to a rear entrance where thick smoke was billowing from a door. Investigations by local police revealed that spa staff had heard a small explosion followed by flames and tried to extinguish the fire but were quickly affected by the smoke and poor visibility.
After about 20 minutes, emergency services arrived, and fire crews attempted to enter the building. However, they struggled to gain access and did not seem to have adequate breathing equipment, according to Ms. Jones. At around 5:30 pm, a stretcher was carried from the spa building, and colleagues identified Mr. Barnes, who did not seem to be moving.
According to the inquest records, he was declared dead later that day. The coroner noted there was no indication that the fire was started deliberately. Mr. Barnes was found to have died from smoke inhalation, which was contributed to by an underlying and seemingly undiagnosed coronary artery disease.
The coroner concluded that Mr. Barnes, of Maxey in Peterborough, died of an accident.
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