The spouse of a British man who passed away in a fire while receiving a massage at an upscale spa is taking legal action against the operators of a Moroccan hotel in the wake of her husband’s demise.
Anthony Barnes lost his life in March 2023 during his stay at the luxurious Jaal Ryad Resort Hotel in Marrakech. The tragic incident occurred while Mr. Barnes, a 48-year-old from Cambridgeshire, was on a business trip with colleagues, and sadly, a hotel staff member also perished in the blaze.
Rachel Barnes, the widow of the deceased, is pursuing a legal claim against Hotel Des Idrissides, trading as Jaal Ryad, seeking over £500,000 in compensation. Mrs. Barnes alleges that the company’s negligence led to the fire that claimed her husband’s life. The hotel management refutes these claims, stating that Mr. Barnes’s death was not due to any negligence or breach of duty on their part. The court is yet to conduct a hearing on this matter.
In court documents, Mrs. Barnes’ legal representative, Matthew Chapman KC, mentioned that Mr. Barnes was undergoing a massage session when the hotel staff discovered the fire. An investigation in the UK concluded last October that Mr. Barnes’s death was accidental, attributing it to the dense, acrid smoke that filled the spa, hampering rescue efforts.
Chapman argued that the hotel’s mismanagement and lack of safety measures exposed Mr. Barnes to foreseeable danger, leading to his untimely demise. He highlighted the hotel’s failure to install adequate fire detection and evacuation systems in the spa, inform Mr. Barnes of the fire, ensure functional CCTV cameras, and promptly alert emergency services.
Additionally, Chapman pointed out that the spa’s construction materials were not fire-resistant, there were insufficient fire extinguishers, and various other safety deficiencies. He emphasized that such accidents are preventable with proper design, construction, and maintenance of spa facilities.
Alistair Mackenzie, representing Hotel Des Idrissides, clarified that the fire originated in the spa’s sauna, and the hotel staff promptly responded by alerting guests, including Mr. Barnes, and trying to extinguish the fire while evacuating the premises.
He asserted that the hotel complied with Moroccan regulations for such establishments and denied any negligence or breach of duty in relation to the fire or Mr. Barnes’s death. Mackenzie explained that while smoke alarms were not installed in Mr. Barnes’s room due to humidity levels, they were present in adjacent areas, and the hotel had a suitable alarm system in place.
Moreover, emergency lighting, appropriate construction materials, operational CCTV cameras, and multiple fire extinguishers were all part of the hotel’s safety measures. Mackenzie also challenged the lack of specific details in the claim linking the alleged acts or omissions to Mr. Barnes’s demise.