A MAN was rushed to hospital with serious injuries after a ‘frightening’ incident at a town centre hotel.
Essex Police, firefighters and paramedics were called to a disturbance at the Greyfriars Hotel, in High Street, Colchester, shortly before 2.15am yesterday.
An air ambulance was also dispatched to the scene.
It followed reports of a fire at the hotel complex.
When emergency services arrived it was also found a man had sustained serious injuries after failing from a height.
After arriving at the incident police officers put a road closure in place while medics treated the casualty before taking him to hospital for further treatment.
André Benjamin Preca, who saw the drama unfold from his nearby home in East Hill, said the sight of the emergency services left him startled, but not too surprised.
He said: “There is always something happening around here, but I was confused, alarmed and sad.”
In order for the police to conduct a full investigation the junction connecting East Hill and High Street to Queen Street remained shut the following morning.
An investigation into the cause of the fire has also been launched by the fire service but the severity of the damage remains unknown.
Simon Crow, Colchester councillor for the Castle ward, said: “I was shocked to hear about this frightening incident and I am very relieved it was not worse.
“A fire in a hotel at night when most guests would have been sleeping could have resulted in a serious loss of life.”
A spokeswoman for the East of England Ambulance Service said: “We were called at 2.24am with reports of a person who had fallen in High Street, Colchester.
“We sent an ambulance, two ambulance officers and the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance. One person was taken to Colchester Hospital by for further care.”
A 29-year-old man has since been arrested on suspicion of arson with intent and assaulting an emergency worker.
The Gazette attempted to contact Greyfriars Hotel but did not receive a response before going to print.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here