People were forced to wait for hours outside a city centre hotel without shoes on after a fire broke out.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) confirmed it was called just after 8.30pm to Tune Hotel on Castle Street in the city centre after a fire broke out on the second floor of the hotel. The service confirmed one person was rescued from the fire and given first aid at the scene.,
The road was cordoned off for around an hour and a half as emergency services descended onto the busy road, with Rox, Sanctuary Tap and Queen Avenue being forced to shut due to the cordon. People gathered outside the cordon as they patiently waited to be let back in, with some having to evacuate with nothing on their feet.
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Another guest was forced to cover himself with a blanket due to evacuating in just a t-shirt and his underwear. Enya O'Donnell, Charlotte Higgins and Courtney Jade told the ECHO: "We were on the fourth floor then the fire alarm was on for 15 minutes. We've stayed here before so we just thought someone was having a ciggy but it wasn't stopping. In the staircase, it stunk of proper fire. We're having a little girl's night, just staying in and ordering food, but we're now freezing in the street. It's quite frustrating but all you can do is wait."
Jack Vernon, who had travelled to Liverpool with his partner from Stoke for the Disney on Ice show at the M&S Bank Arena, told the ECHO: "We heard the fire alarm then nothing else. We're staying on the first floor. We've not been told anything since we were evacuated. We asked a policewoman but she said it could be one or two hours before we get back in."
One man, Daniel, was having a drink in McGuffie, on the other side of Castle Street, when the fire broke out. He said: "[MFRS] were quite rapid but they couldn't get had to get past the bollards. They had to wait to get through there and were asking the restaurants for help."
A Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "Firefighters are currently in attendance at a fire in a hotel on Castle Street, Liverpool City Centre.
Crews were alerted at 8.33pm and on scene at 8.38pm. Three fire engines are in attendance. "On arrival, crews found a fire on the second floor of the hotel. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the premises under rapid deployment. The fire had been extinguished by 8.59pm.
"A full evacuation of the hotel has taken place. One person was rescued by firefighters and is receiving first aid on scene. All other persons have been accounted for.
"North West Ambulance Service and Merseyside Police are also in attendance. An investigation into the cause of the fire will be carried out in due course. Please avoid the area."
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