Gay couple named as victims in Scottish hotel fire
Two men have been named as victims in a fire at a luxury five-star hotel in Loch Lomond, Scotland.
Simon Midgley and Richard Dyson, who are believed to be from London, had ben staying at the Cameron House Hotel.
A fire broke out on Monday morning and tore through the luxury five-star hotel.
Despite authorities not having named the victims’ identities, relatives have published a tribute on social media.
Midgley’s Facebook page has been converted to a tributes page.
The director of the hotel has commended the emergency services for their actions in stopping more lives from being lost.
A baby, Jimmy, and his parents Louise and Andrew Logan from Worcestershire, were carried to safety by firefighters from an upper floor.
They were later taken to hospital but were discharged.
According to social media posts paying tribute to Midgley and Dyson, they had been on a winter break in Scotland when they died in the fire.
Midgley had shared photos of the hotel on his Instagram and wrote “Home for the weekend”.
The sister of Midgley posted a photo of the couple on Facebook and another relative wrote: “I’m beyond heartbroken”.
Midgley was a freelance journalist at the London Evening Standard according to his Facebook page.
Dyson was believed to have been a TV producer.
Media reports from the hotel described the damage as “extensive”, said that burning wood smells were present and that fire alarms were still going off when journalist arrived.
Cameron House’s director, Andy Roger, said he commended the “very swift actions of the emergency services”.
He added: “Everyone associated with Cameron House Hotel is still coming to terms with the events of yesterday and we are all hugely conscious that two people tragically lost their lives in the fire.
“Their families and friends are foremost in our thoughts as we co-operate fully with the investigation teams to try to establish the circumstances surrounding this terrible incident.
“The emergency services were on the scene long into the night and I cannot praise their efforts highly enough. They are true heroes. The firemen bringing out a couple and their young child by ladder from a second-floor room was a heart-stopping moment for all those who witnessed it.”
It is believed that an investigation will now take place to find the cause of the fire.
