PHONE threats were made to Bolton's Moat House Hotel before the early morning fire in which an elderly couple died, the BEN can reveal today.

Fire investigators and senior detectives believe a mattress which was set alight in a third floor corridor, could have sparked the fire which swept through the building.

An elderly man and woman, from the Blackpool area, were discovered in the corridor by firefighters who were searching the smoke-filled seven-storey hotel after the alarm was raised just after 12.30am.

The couple who died have not been officially identified by police but are understood to have been staying in the same room. They had been overcome by fumes.

Detectives, who have confirmed the fire is being treated as suspicious, were speaking to guests, members of staff and former employees throughout the day.

A GMP spokesman said: "The cause of the blaze has not yet been established but is currently being treated as suspicious."

Up to 50 firefighters were called to the hotel on Higher Bridge Street as thick smoke and flames billowed from the building.

Hotel staff managed to evacuate most of the 128 guests as the fire took hold on the third floor of the seven-storey building.

But two hotel guests, a man and woman who were found in a third floor corridor, died of their injuries despite a desperate bid by fire officers to save their lives.

The two seriously injured people were rushed by ambulance to the Royal Bolton Hospital but were pronounced dead.

Two other casualties who were rescued from the hotel's third floor -- the seat of the blaze -- were treated for the effects of breathing in smoke but were later released from the Royal Bolton Hospital.

The fire is one of the biggest in Bolton town centre since the 1981 town hall blaze and struck nearly 40 years after 19 people died in a nightclub blaze just a couple of hundred yards from the Moat House.

Forensic teams, fire investigation officers and detectives have launched a major investigation into the cause of the blaze which ravaged the hotel, due to celebrate its 10th anniversary later this year.

The blaze comes nearly two years after the Bolton Moat House hotel was the subject of two other suspected arson attacks within just 90 minutes.

In June 1999 staff and hotel guests were evacuated after net curtains were set alight on the hotel's third and fourth floors. Just an hour and a half before that a chair had been slashed and set alight.

Higher Bridge Street remained cordoned off as fire crews continued to damp down the building and clear out fire-damaged debris.

Station Officer Jeff Gill of Greater Manchester Fire Brigade said: "Initially three fire engines and one hydraulic platform were called to the scene, an additional five fire engines were called and firefighters wearing breathing apparatus were sent into the hotel to locate the fire and search for the missing hotel guests.

"This task was made extremely difficult due to the severity of the fire, and the fact that a large number of rooms on three floors of the seven-storey building had to be searched."

Station Officer Gill said scenes inside the hotel as the fire broke out must have been close to pandemonium. He added: "The hotel guests were in a strange place and the fire alarms sounded in the early hours of the morning. They must have been very disorientated, and we conducted a thorough search to make sure no one had gone into any of the rooms while searching for the fire escapes."

The blaze came on the day that delegations from Max Spielman, Bolton Business and Professional Women, and Computer Science Corporation Ltd had used the hotel's conference facilities.

Today stunned hotel bosses spoke of their shock and sadness following the devastating blaze which had claimed two lives.

Moat House Area Director Simon Jackson described the fire as a terrible tragedy: He said: "We are devastated that two of our guests have lost their lives. Our deepest sympathies go out to their families. We do not know the cause of the fire, and we are co-operating fully with the emergency services."

An official spokesman for the hotel confirmed he had not been made aware of any hoax calls adding: "If there had been any the police would have been informed."

Station Officer Gill praised the fire safety measures at the fire ravaged Moat House Hotel this lunchtime.

He said: "It would appear that everything that should have been working, namely fire alarms, was working, although this will need to be checked by fire safety officers. However, the fire safety doors on the third floor were working, and while they were badly damaged they prevented the fire from spreading further."

Guests evacuated from the Moat House were this morning staying at the New Pack Horse Hotel, off Bradshawgate.

Men and women who were telephoning family and friends outside the building on their mobiles said they were too shaken to comment. It is believed a number of them have been giving statements to the police. Several guests were also sent to the Last Drop Village.

Anyone who is concerned about a family member who had been staying at the Moat House is urged to call 0161 872 8178.