Police have confirmed that a late-night hotel fire was started deliberately.
A bedroom on the first floor of the Frandon Hotel in Clacton was set alight at 2.40am on Monday morning, while 17 people slept.
The blaze was put out by owners Ojars Martinsons and Zanda Mazure, who had been awoken by the fire alarm.
Following a visit to the hotel with firefighters, Det Sgt Rennie Chivers of Clacton police confirmed that the cause of the fire was arson.
"We are quite satisfied that it was deliberate," he said.
"This could have been very serious - potentially it was a danger to life."
He added: "In the light of the fires in Newquay and Skegness the end result wasn't serious.
"But it wouldn't have taken much for the fire to become something much worse."
- If you have any information about the incident, call Clacton police on 01255 221312 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
- More in today's Gazette
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