Arson looks to have been ruled out as the cause of a devastating fire at a former country hotel.

A joint police and fire investigation was launched into a blaze which destroyed the Ballacallin Hotel in the early hours of February 8.

Chief Inspector Mark Newey, who is leading the police investigation, said: ’The matter is still being looked into at this time to complete a few loose ends.’

But he confirmed the fire was not believed to be suspicious and no-one has been arrested.

Two people and their dog were led to safety from a cottage behind the old hotel as the fire took hold.

Firefighters worked through the night to bring the flames under control.

Red watch from Douglas fire station was joined by retained firefighters from Peel and Douglas.

Due to a lack of major water supplies nearby, some 45 firefighters worked in rotation to ensure that water could be transported from the closest hydrants in Glen Maye.

Icy conditions overnight led to water from the jets running off the building and immediately freezing.

The occupants of the cottage next door were checked over by paramedics but they did not require hospital admission and their home was not damaged.

By daylight smoke was still billowing from parts of the building and sections of roof continued to collapse.

Fire crews were back on site the next day as some hot spots began smoking again.

Investigations into the cause of the fire were delayed as the building remained too dangerous to enter for days.

The former hotel had been empty for many years. It started out as a farmhouse and first became an entertainment venue in the 1950s.

At one point the Ballacallin was bought and renovated by business tycoon Albert Gubay before being run in the early 70s by Evan and Mona Gell who established it as an eatery and hotel.

It was subsequently run by the Ford family and then the Coxes before Lindsay Quayle and her then partner took it over in 1987, establishing the Ballacallin’s reputation as a popular hotel, pub and restaurant.

They sold it seven years later to a couple in Glen Maye who went on to sell it to Simon and Fenella Costain who ran it as a guesthouse and bar until it closed in 2007.

In 2009 an application by Paxton Enterprises to turn the old building into private accommodation was approved after an appeal was dismissed by a planning inspector.

It was subsequently put up for sale with an asking price of £750,000.