Category Archives: Hotel / Motel

Colorado Springs, CO – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in extinguishing hotel fire; Fire started in room heater

A small fire at a Colorado Springs hotel was quickly contained late Monday night.  Guests and staff were evacuated after the fire sparked at Quality Inn on Aerotech Drive around 11:30 p.m. The heat from the fire triggered the sprinkler system.  Firefighters say the fire was started by a heater in one of the first floor rooms. It was quickly extinguished, and guests were able to return to their rooms.

Vancouver, WA – Activated sprinkler assists firefighters in extinguishing fire at La Quinta Inn

Firefighters responded to a call Saturday afternoon at a hotel, where they found a fire in an empty room. Clark County Fire District 6 responded to the call at 4:11 p.m. at the La Quinta Inn & Suites, 1500 N.E. 134th St., Vancouver. Battalion Chief Bryan Baum said the first responders forced entry into the ground room floor after a hotel employee said there might be guests in that room.

When the firefighters entered, there were no guests, but there was a fire, which heated up and set off the sprinkler system. The firefighters put out the fire in less than 10 minutes, Baum said, adding there was some water damage and smoke damage in the room. Vancouver Fire Department assisted on the call.

He added that while the fire is currently under investigation, it could’ve been the air conditioning unit that started it. The curtains near the air conditioner were burned, as was the unit itself. There were no injuries from the fire, and the damage was primarily contained to the room with the fire, although Baum said there might’ve been some water damage in the hallway near the room.

The hotel was evacuated during the fire. Baum said that as of an hour after the fire, the guests from that room still hadn’t returned to the hotel, and the firefighters gave their personal belongings to the hotel staff at the front desk.

Cape Girardeau, MO – No injuries reported after sprinkler system extinguishes trash can fire in hotel bathroom

Hotel guests were evacuated from their rooms after one of the units caught fire on Saturday, April 21 in Cape Girardeau.

It happened at the Drury Plaza Hotel on Percy Drive just after 1 a.m.

According to the Cape Girardeau Fire Department, a fire was started in a trash can placed in a bathroom which activated the sprinkler system. 

The department attributes this system with extinguishing the fire. 

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department says the fire was contained to the bathroom, which sustained some smoke damage.

Officials say a guest overcooked food in a microwave, disposed of the food while not aware of any fire, and left the room.

According to authorities, a second guest was in the room at the time and was able to escape unharmed.

There are no injuries to report.

Guests were allowed back to their rooms a couple of hours later.

Cottage Grove, MN – Overnight hotel fire knocked down by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A hotel in the east metro was evacuated early Thursday after a blaze broke out. At about 2:45 a.m. emergency units responded to a report of a room on fire at the Country Inn and Suites in Cottage Grove.

The building sprinkler system had knocked down the fire and Cottage Grove crews extinguished any remaining blaze.

Crews from St. Paul Park and Woodbury assisted on the scene. There were no reports of any injuries.

Lake Placid, NY – Fire at Crowne Plaza Resort suppressed by sprinkler system; Overheated computer was cause

The Crowne Plaza Resort and Golf Club was evacuated after the fire broke out around 11:12 a.m last Thursday. “The evacuation plan went great,” Lussi said. “We had actually just had a fire drill about six week ago.” The fire was triggered by a guest’s overcharged computer, he said. The guest was not in the room when the blaze broke out. Flames were contained to the room and had been mostly extinguished by the hotel’s sprinkler system when firefighters arrived.

“Sometimes in small businesses we think of things like sprinkler systems as extremely costly,” Lussi said. “You have to pay to have them inspected and re-certified. “This is just a phenomenal example of why it’s worth doing these things.

“The safety boards or building inspectors should get a lot of credit because we didn’t use to have individual sprinkler in all rooms. It evolved in past 15 or 20 years. When the mandate came to put them in individual rooms, we were like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s going to be really expensive.’ “Then you realize this was worth every penny we invested, and we encourage other people to do the same.

Lussi credited the Lake Placid Volunteer Fire Department for a quick response and for suppressing the hotel’s sprinkler system, which could have drained its entire water supply, he said. “They were very thoughtful in not letting anyone back into the building until they knew the area had been contained and was safe.” Fire Chief Jim Wasson said bedding in the room had ignited. “There was a lot of smoke and a lot of water when we arrived,” he said. “Thank goodness for sprinkler systems. It did a good job of soaking it.” Seventeen members of the department responded. They were back in service by 12:40 p.m.

Lewiston, ID – Electrical fire at hotel put out with help from sprinkler system

Fire officials suspect an electrical malfunction sparked a fire Monday evening in a fourth-floor room at the Red Lion Hotel in Lewiston.

The Lewiston Fire Department was dispatched to the hotel at 621 21st St. at approximately 6:20 p.m., and no one was injured in the fire, according to a news release from LFD Chief Travis Myklebust.

The first arriving unit found occupants from the hotel exiting into the parking lot, and nothing was showing from the outside. Crews went to the fourth floor and found a room with heavy black smoke coming into the hallway from inside. At that point, units from Asotin County Fire District No. 1, Clarkston Fire and Wheatland Fire District were requested as well.

As crews were getting in place, the hotel’s sprinkler system activated and helped extinguish the fire. The fire was contained to the room and there was some minor smoke damage on the fourth-floor and minor water damage on the third floor, according to the news release. The fire was under control by about 15 minutes after arrival.

Lewiston responded with three engines, one ladder truck, one service truck, two ambulances and three command officers, with a total of 17 personnel. Mutual-aid units responded with two engines and one support unit, totaling 14 personnel. Two fire investigators were also called to the scene.

Derby, VT – Motel room fire contained with help from sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Close to 11:30 Friday night, Vermont State Police say Derby Line Fire Department responded to a report of a fire in a room at the Border Motel.

Upon arrival, crews encountered a fire in an occupied room on the second floor of the motel.

The fire department was able to extinguish the flames and keep the fire contained to the room of origin, along with the help of the building’s fire suppression/sprinkler system.

State Police say there were no reported injuries from the fire, but another tenant was transported to North Country Hospital for an unrelated medical emergency.

After his initial scene examination, Chief Craig Ellam requested the assistance of the Department of Public Safety Fire Investigation Unit.

Investigators were able to confirm the fire originated on a couch in the room.

Police say the room sustained significant damage and is considered a total loss. Other nearby rooms sustained smoke and water damage, and several tenants had to be relocated within the motel.

According to a media release, the male occupant of the room, Romuld Kuczek, was placed into protective custody due his level of intoxication.

There are no criminal charges at this point, but police say the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Henrico, VA – Hotel fire controlled by single automatic sprinkler

A fire broke out at a hotel in Henrico, causing several people to evacuate. Crews received a call for a fire around 2:12 p.m. on Saturday in the Suburban Lodge, located in the 7800 block of Shrader Road. When crews arrived on the scene, they found out that the fire started in a hotel room.  The fire was being controlled by a sprinkler head, but fire officials said smoke filled the halls and common areas.  Firefighters helped several people evacuate from the building, and officials said some had mobility issues. Some people were even taken out of the windows. One person was injured in the incident.  The person injured in the incident suffered non-life-threatening injuries. No one else was hurt. The Henrico Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire, and police are directing traffic around the scene.

Astoria, OR – Arson fire at Comfort Suites hotel extinguished with help from sprinkler system

A homeless man has been indicted in connection with a gas leak and fire at the Comfort Suites in Astoria last September. Matthew Jay Burke, 26, allegedly removed a plug from a gas meter near the hotel. Natural gas eventually leaked into and outside of the building on Lief Erikson Drive, causing a spark outside. Flames from the fire extended into the laundry room. The fire was extinguished after a water pipe burst and a ceiling sprinkler activated, causing several inches of water to flood the ground floor. The incident caused the hotel to temporarily close.

Dozens of guests from 75 rooms were evacuated and transferred to other hotels in Astoria and Warrenton. No injuries were reported. Burke was indicted in late January but has been held in a California jail for a separate probation violation. It is unclear whether Burke intended to cause a fire at the hotel or simply damage property. He has been charged with eight counts of recklessly endangering another person and two counts of first-degree criminal mischief.

“Frankly, the motel was full,” Clatsop County Deputy District Attorney Ron Brown said. “The risk to the public could’ve been pretty substantial.” Burke has yet to be transferred to the Clatsop County Jail, and an arraignment has not been scheduled.