Fire victim was local man
A man who died while trying to escape a fire that destroyed a hotel in Newquay was this afternoon named as Peter Douglas Hughes, aged 43, a teacher from Cheslyn Hay.
Mr Hughes, who was born in Bloxwich, was killed when he jumped from the third floor of the Penhallow Hotel in Cornwall on Saturday after trying to save his elderly mother.
Cornwall coroner Dr Emma Carlyon was told at an inquest in Truro that he had shouted "I can't move my mum" before leaping from a window.
Eyewitness James Banks, who was on holiday and had travelled with the same coach party as Mr Hughes and his mother, who was not identified, said in a statement he saw Mr Hughes climb out of the window.
"I was shouting 'Stay where you are'. I knew the drop was too high to jump. Peter then jumped," said Mr Banks, who had got on the coach to Cornwall in Manchester.
Paramedic Mark Bruce said in a statement: "He was saying 'I couldn't breathe up there, I had to jump'. He told me that he had asthma." The inquest was told the interim cause of death was the effect of the inhalation of smoke and toxic gases. The hearing was adjourned for further inquiries.
