Hilton in flames at Surfers Paradise as ‘fiery explosion’ forces evacuation

A “fiery explosion” at the Hilton Surfers Paradise hotel sparked a blaze that forced more than 100 guests to stand by the roadside outside for at least an hour in the early hours of Friday.

Footage of the incident appeared to show flames centred on the large “H” sign on the exterior of the landmark building, on Orchid Avenue at the Gold Coast.

Seven News reported that onlookers said they saw a “fiery explosion” near the top of one of the towers about 2am.

The Queensland Fire Department said it received calls about 2.10am, and sent out six fire crews, who reported it was “only a small fire”.

“There was the main fire on the roof and then, from the embers falling down, there was a secondary fire down on the pool deck,” a QFD spokesman said.

“It looked worse in the footage … there were embers coming down, it did look a bit spectacular.”

The fire department reported no one was injured.

While fire crews initially said there was “no suggestion” the Hilton’s sign had played a role in the fire, a spokesman later confirmed the sign had caught fire.

“We can’t really say if it was an electrical fault or not,” he said.

He added the department was unlikely to investigate further into the cause.

The pool deck fire was put out about 2.20am and the first fire was extinguished shortly afterwards.

Posts on Facebook captured the flames at the Hilton in Surfers Paradise early Friday morning.Credit: Facebook

After a chilly wait on Orchid Avenue, guests were allowed back into the building about 3am, the fire department spokesman said.

Other reports suggested some had waited up to 3½ hours before returning inside.

The fire came days after news that another longstanding hotel in the chain, Hilton Brisbane, was set to close this month.

A “globally recognised” luxury hotel operator is set to take over the building in Elizabeth Street in the CBD.

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