Police: No bodies found in fire-ravaged former hotel

MONDAY, DECEMBER 24: No bodies have been found in the wreckage of a former hotel in the centre of Hamilton which was gutted in a blaze, police said today.

And officers ruled out arson as a cause of the fire, which badly damaged the old Canadian Hotel building late last Wednesday night.

THe building has been used as a shelter by homeless people in the past - leading to fears people may have died as a result of the fire.

A police spokesman said: “A thorough search of the building was recently completed, which involved the use of excavating machinery to sift through debris within the structure.

“There were no victims found and there does not appear to be any suspicious circumstances.”