Cause of blaze at North Adelaide hotel that left seven injured revealed following investigation

The cause of a fire that left three men fighting for life and four others injured has been revealed after a police probe.

Charging batteries sparked a large North Adelaide hotel fire that injured seven and left three in a critical condition, police say.

Fire cause investigators revealed on Wednesday investigations in to the fire which started in the early hours of Sunday morning at the Comfort Hotel Adelaide Meridien on Melbourne St were complete.

“The fire has since been determined to have started as a result of recharging batteries,” a police spokesperson said on Wednesday.

They would not confirm what type of batteries, or how many were charging, There had been speculation that e-scooters being recharged in a guest room were to blame.

The three level fire was described by police as “intense” and involved an intricate rescue mission of 15 people using ladders and aerial appliances.

The fire at the Comfort Adelaide Meridien Hotel on Melbourne St around 6.30am on Sunday. Picture: 7 News

Three men aged 43, 44 and 54 were rushed to the Royal Adelaide Hospital with serious injuries.

The severity of injuries of 43-year-old Vish Sharma have been downgraded from critical to stable, and the 54-year-old was discharged from hospital.

The 44-year-old remains in a serious but stable condition.

Earlier this week The Advertiser revealed police were investigating a Honda sports car which was towed from the hotel in relation to the fire, in addition to the room destroyed by an explosion.

A Honda being towed from the scene of a hotel fire at the Comfort Hotel, in Melbourne Street, North Adelaide. Picture Emma Brasier

A spokesman from the Comfort Hotel Adelaide Meridien said the wing of the building that was damaged by fire remained closed to guests.

There are 45 rooms still safe to make available to guests.

He said no official comment would be made until all investigations including by council and the building’s management had been undertaken.

Superintendent Matt Nairn told a media conference on Sunday morning he could not disclose details of who was inside the room where the fire started, throwing flames up to 10m into the air through a shattered window.

“We won’t go into who was in the room,” he said.

Vish Sharma’s close friend Ekta Sharma told The Advertiser earlier this week her friend was selflessly knocking on hotel doors in a bid to save people from the blaze.

Vish Sharma and his business partner and friend Vishal Chopra. Picture: supplied

“He had to break through a window and come out (the balcony) and he badly injured his arm, too, trying to get out,” Ms Sharma said.

One man with burns to his feet and hands jumped into a swimming pool in the hotel’s rear carpark.