As flames poured from the upper floors of the Cairns Hotel, quarantine more than 130 rooms were evacuated “in a matter of minutes”. Emergency services and hotel staff sprang into life-saving measures to evacuate 163 people from the facility.
Staff at the hotel were praised by Superintendent Hodgman for their quick thinking and management of the situation. It could have been a vastly different outcome without the magnificent job they had done, he has said.
People evacuated are being housed at other premises while damage to the hotel is being assessed. It is not known at this stage how it will affect their quarantine situation, or if those attending and moving those in quarantine will also need to be put into isolation.
A crime scene has been established at the facility and police have declared an emergency situation in the Cairns CBD.
It has now been confirmed a 31-year-old woman is being held in police custody.
Police expect the woman to be charged with several offences, including arson, and she is currently being held in the Cairns watch house. Top investigators have been appointed to the case.
The woman was in quarantine with her two children and those children are now with police who are looking after their welfare.
The hotel suffered significant damage, and it is not known at this time if it will be able to continue to be used for quarantine purposes.
It has been very traumatic for the residents who have all their worldly positions in the rooms. Everything possible is being done to get their belongings back to them as quickly as possible.
