Harrogate hotel fire victim was kitchen porter

The body of Nigel Butterfield was found in his room in the staff quarters on the fifth floor of the hotel following the blaze, which broke out at around 5am on May 5.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Police said the investigation is continuing but examinations of the scene showed the fire started in Mr Butterfield's room.

Detective Inspector Heather Pearson, leading the investigation, said: "The police investigation into the cause of the fire and Mr Butterfield's death is still ongoing.

"The scene was examined by fire and police scene investigators on Thursday May 6 and the police have now released control of the area back to Barcelo, the hotel owners, so that they can begin work restoring the hotel back to its former state."

Residents were forced to escape in their night clothes as the blaze ripped through the upper floors of the Victorian town-centre hotel.

More than 130 guests were moved out of the building and took shelter in a nearby hotel as the emergency services, including 90 firefighters, dealt with the fire.

Witnesses reported seeing flames coming from the roof of the hotel.

One guest, Julian Harrison from Wolverhampton, said: "Everybody was very calm. A majority of people thought somebody had just set off the alarm with a cigar, but on the way down firemen were running up the stairs past us and we knew then it was something more serious."

Police initially said the fire was "potentially suspicious".