A PROBE has been launched into a fire that broke out on a wedding stage at a five-star beach resort hotel’s outdoor function area on Wednesday night.
According to eye witnesses, flames destroyed an ornamented platform after an unauthorised fireworks display was set off around 8.30pm, causing an estimated BD6,000 loss to the wedding planners, a well-known flower and chocolate shop brand in the kingdom.
As the pedestal caught fire, the Bahraini bride and groom walked away from the scene, accompanied by the rest of the family. No-one was hurt in the outdoor incident at the Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain.
The flames destroyed curtains, drapes, railings, sofas, lighting, wallpapers, bouquets, and melted fresh flowers, among other decorative items, and the Civil Defence team, which arrived swiftly at the scene, quickly extinguished the fire.
“The incident is being investigated, and we are awaiting an official report on what happened,” said a representative of Larissa Flowers, the event planner, who asked not to be named.
“Neither were we, as event planners, nor the hotel, made aware of the use of fireworks beforehand.
“Those responsible were right next to the stage, and as soon as the fireworks started, the blaze erupted – no one knows for sure where or how it started.
“Fortunately, there was no injuries – the bride and groom were walking away from the stage when it started, and there were no others nearby except for the men managing the fireworks, who also escaped unharmed.”
The woman added that the planners had yet to figure out how to cover their losses. “We are yet to estimate the exact amount but it is definitely more than BD6,000,” she added.
“The items included not only flowers and bouquets, but also sofas, railings, ribbons and all of the stage decorations.
“When the flames started around 8.30pm, no one knew exactly what was going on – with all the fancy stuff on and around the stage, the fire spread quickly. However, it was well contained.
“Some of the items on the stage that were damaged were ours, some were rented and we have to work out the total losses.
“We have billed the client over the rented items but not on the event itself, now we also have to figure out those losses as well.”
A hotel representative declined to comment apart from confirming that the ‘incident was under investigation’.
raji@gdn.com.bh
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