AXA and Aviva sue cleaning contractor for £2.5m over hotel fire

AXA and Aviva are suing a cleaning contractor for £2.5m over a hotel kitchen fire which occurred in 2008.

The insurers lodged a claim in the High Court last year after paying out the claim to their client, the Skyland Hotels chain, for damage caused by the fire that broke out at its Carlton Park hotel in Rotherham, South Yorkshire on 1 August 2008.

The writ filed by the insurers claimed the fire spread more quickly than it might have from the kitchen to the roof becausethe cleaning contractor, Crown Deep Clean, failed to clean the extractor fan ducting system as thoroughly as it should have.

The fire was attended by more than 25 fire fighters on the day according to the BBC. It forced the evacuation of the hotel and cancellation of a wedding reception due to take place on the same day, as well as a christening the next day, and caused extensive damage to the roof and kitchen.

The insurers claimed £1.02m for damage caused by the fire as well as £1.65m claimed by the Skyland Hotel chain on its insurance for loss of business following the fire.

Aviva and AXA claimed Crown Deep Clean failed to clean and degrease the whole extractor ducting unit which meant that the fat deposits in the ducting helped the fire spread more quickly than it otherwise would have.

Crown Deep Clean filed defence papers in which it denied negligence and said it was not contracted to clean the entire system, claiming it pointed out that certain parts of the ducting were inaccessible.

It also argued the fact that the fire service had to put out the fire through the roof proved that certain parts of the ducting were inaccessible. And they claimed that the fire service’s actions contributed to the spread of the fire.

Greenwoods Solicitors partner Richard Houseago, acting for AXA and Aviva, told Insurance Times the case was a “standard recovery action” on the part of the insurers, and the Skylands Hotel chain, while named in the lawsuit, was not directly involved in the case.

While he was unwillingly to speculate on the outcome of the case, he said most cases resulted in an out of court settlement.

Crown Deep Clean’s solicitor was unavailable for comment. Aviva and AXA were also unavailable for comment.