Cumbrian couple save fellow traveller from fire while on luxury holiday in Asia
02/05/2007
Luxury holiday in Asia turned into holiday in hell
Thank you very much for the brilliant service, professionalism and caring attitude whilst handling my recent claim.
Vicki, Sheffield
A couple
from Lazonby in Cumbria are taking legal action against their tour
operator after a fire, which broke out whilst they were on holiday in
Nepal in February 2007, caused burns and other injuries and nearly
killed a fellow holidaymaker.
Stuart Burton, (49), and his wife,
Hilary (42), were staying at the Temple Tiger Jungle Lodge, Royal
Chitwan National Park, Nepal, when disaster struck on the night of 7
February 2007.
Mr and Mrs Burton had booked the luxury 15-night
tour of India and Nepal through Cox & Kings at a cost of £6,000.00.
The last part of the trip was to include a private tour of Nepal,
staying in the Temple Tiger Jungle Lodge.
Holiday fire
However
on their second night at the lodge a fire broke out in the thatched
bamboo hut next to the Burton's hut. A kerosene heater which guests had
been given by the local tour guides fell apart as it was being moved
and the spilt paraffin ignited. The hut was occupied by an English
couple who stumbled out of the hut, the female of the couple fell head
first down the steps from the balcony.
On hearing the woman's
screams, Mr Burton, who was out on his balcony with his wife at the
time, turned around and was horrified to see that she was on fire. He
immediately raced to her aid and battled to tackle the 4ft high flames
with his fleece jacket and shirt.
Holiday disaster caused by fire
Mr
Burton successfully managed to extinguish the flames from the woman,
burning his hands in the process. The woman sustained third degree
burns to her right leg and a gash to her scalp which later required 6
stitches. Both Mr and Mrs Burton suffered smoke inhalation and anxiety,
while Mr Burton required medical treatment for the burns to his hands.
There
were no fire alarms or fire evacuation procedures in place and the
electricity supply failed meaning that the entire area was plunged into
darkness. This made it extremely difficult for other holidaymakers to
make their way to safety and for staff to get to the scene.
Mrs
Burton explained: "The mahouts (elephant drivers) and camp staff
battled to try and prevent the fire from spreading further but the
danger was that the jungle floor, deep in dry leaves, might catch
alight."
There was no first aid kit in the camp and Mr and Mrs
Burton pleaded with the camp staff to take the injured woman to
hospital. She and her husband were eventually taken out of the camp by
jeep and they were rowed across a wide, fast-flowing river. There were
no life jackets and they only had a torch to help them in the darkness.
Katie
Jones, of law firm Irwin Mitchell who is representing Mr and Mrs Burton
said: "This terrifying incident, which almost resulted in a fatality,
could easily have been avoided if stricter health and safety measures
had been put in place.
Guests should not have been allowed to use
open-flamed kerosene heaters in bamboo thatched huts for obvious fire
safety reasons. In addition, there should have been a fire alarm and a
fire evacuation procedure in place."
"Tour operators have a duty
to take reasonable care of their customers and to ensure that the
accommodation and the services that they provide meet the required
standards of health and safety. This includes appropriate inspections
of the accommodation to assess its safety and the risk of accidents
occurring."
Mrs Burton said: "This tragic incident completely
spoilt the holiday because we returned home feeling deep in shock. My
husband and I will have to live with the memories of seeing the flames
engulfing that poor woman forever. Clearly, there were no checks in
place for our safety or well being and we all know that it was only by
good fortune that no-one was killed."
Specialist travel litigation team
Irwin
Mitchell's specialist travel litigation team has acted for a large
number of passengers who contracted illnesses including Salmonella,
E-Coli, Norovirus, Shigella and a range of other conditions due to
inadequate health, hygiene and safety standards on a number of
different cruise ships.
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