Category Archives: Hotel / Motel

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Shreveport, LA – Fire on sixth-floor of Holiday Inn contained to one room by sprinkler system

Heavy smoked filled a sixth-floor room at the Holiday Inn Shreveport on Monday afternoon, activating the sprinkler system and triggering an alarm that resulted in at least 20 fire units being dispatched to the hotel (blog note: fire sprinklers are only activated by heat, not smoke).

The exact cause of the smoke and fire was unknown late Monday as fire investigators worked the scene. No injuries were reported. The room is unusable, but most of the building was not damaged.

“The fire was contained, basically, to one room on the sixth floor and there were other rooms that sustained smoke damage,” said Fred Sanders, assistant to the fire chief. The sprinklers immediately activating helped minimize damage to the room, Sanders said. Firefighters also doused the room as a safety precaution.

Ed Socha, Holiday Inn Shreveport general manager, said employees and about 40 guests staying at the hotel were evacuated. As a standard procedure, some employees were checked out by EMS at the scene.

The room at the center of the smoky scene was rented, but the guest wasn’t there when the fire started, Socha said. Socha said he didn’t see flames. “Just because of the smoke damage, it’s (the room) going to have to be completely redone,” he said. The hotel was to undergo an annual inspection today but it will be postponed, Socha said.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Duluth, GA – Sprinkler system extinguishes overnight fire at Hilton Garden Inn

A basket of rags caught fire in the kitchen of a Gwinnett County hotel Monday morning.  The hotel’s sprinkler system extinguished the flames, which broke out at around 2:30 a.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn in the 2000 block of Sugarloaf Circle.

Gwinnett County Fire Lt. Jerrod Barrett said the fire started in a basket of cooking oil rags.   About 60 guests and hotel staff members were briefly evacuated from the building while firefighters investigated the source of the fire.  Barrett said the guests were soon able to return to their rooms.

Investigators believe the fire was caused by spontaneous combustion of the rags in their plastic cart.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Sarasota, FL – Sprinkler system douses fire in Ritz-Carlton parking garage

Sarasota Fire Department personnel responded to a fire at the prestigious Ritz-Carlton Sarasota Tuesday afternoon. According to Capt. Jerry Jensen of the Sarasota Fire Department, the fire began in a vehicle parked in the hotel’s parking garage. The building’s anti-fire measures soon kicked into action, with the sprinkler system activating and dousing the conflagration. Firefighters cleared the parking garage of people and made sure the fire was fully out before issuing the all-clear. Capt. Jensen reports that the situation has now returned to normal at the Ritz.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Myrtle Beach, SC – Sprinklers keep fire in check at Econo Lodge hotel

Horry County Fire Rescue responded to a fire at a Myrtle Beach hotel Wednesday. According to HCFR second battalion chief, Thomas Loeper, a sprinkler system was able to contain the blaze until fire crews got to the scene. When crews arrived, there was smoke on the second floor and fire was on one of the units, according to Loeper.

Brian Van Aernem with HCFR reported that the fire started in a second floor bedroom.  Crews were able to extinguish the fire and Loeper said they removed water from the second floor.  One person was transported to Grand Strand Medical Center due to minor burns on her hands. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.  Myrtle Beach Fire Rescue assisted HCFR with this fire.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Silver Star Mountain, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system activates to help control fire at popular ski resort

Some guests at a Silver Star Mountain Resort hotel were evacuated from their rooms Thursday morning after an early morning fire broke out at Vance Creek Hotel and Conference Centre. The hotel’s General Manager, Russell Haubrich says the blaze sparked in a storage room near the restaurant kitchen.

Haubrich says the blaze triggered the sprinkler system.  Silver Star Mountain Resort says they are working to reopen the saloon as soon as possible, which could mean a couple of days. Haubrich expects the hotel restaurant will reopen by Thursday night. He adds hotel guests were evacuated from their rooms for about an hour.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Meriden, CT – Hotel manager thankful that sprinkler system contained fire

An East Main Street hotel is undergoing repairs after an electrical fire Saturday night caused the building to be evacuated and the power shut off.

The fire shortly after 6 p.m. Saturday at the Hawthorn Suites at 1151 E. Main St. caused significant damage to the hotel. Fire Marshal Steve Trella said the fire broke out in two control rooms and was contained by the sprinkler system.

After city electricians and cleaning crews worked through the night, electricity was partially restored Sunday afternoon. General Manager Amit Arora said it could be a day or two before occupants are allowed back.

“Water always does more damage than fire but I’m just thankful (the sprinkler system) was able to control the fire and no one got hurt,” Arora said.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Corvallis, OR – Sprinkler system helps control fire at Holiday Inn Express

The Corvallis Fire Department responded to a fire at Corvallis’ Holiday Inn Express in the early morning hours Saturday.  According to Jim Patton, fire prevention officer with the department, the fire was started on the second floor by a ceiling fan in a guest’s room and extended into the ceiling, which activated a fire sprinkler system. Guests were evacuated from the hotel at 5:30 a.m., and the fire department responded to extinguish the fire and investigate its cause.

Patton said fire damage and water damage was contained to the room and the ceiling above. Around 9 a.m. the hotel, located at 781 N.E. Second St., was partially reoccupied. The third floor and portions of the second floor were not reoccupied, he said.  Patton, who was not at the incident himself, said he’d heard of no injuries in the fire.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Sarasota, FL – Fire at Lido Beach Holiday Inn controlled with help from sprinkler system

Daniel Sperry was walking along Lido Beach Tuesday morning when he heard a “bang” and turned around to see smoke billowing from a sixth floor room at the Holiday Inn on Ben Franklin Drive.  Sarasota County fire officials said they couldn’t determine the cause of the fire – the state fire marshall will investigate – but no injuries were reported.

Sarsota County Fire Dept. Capt. Jerry Jensen said the department had the fire out in nine minutes.  “The initial stop was done by the sprinkler system within the building itself. Our crews were in there quickly and finished off the work the sprinkler system did start. So we had the fire out rather quickly.”

Power was initially out on the sixth floor but was later restored. Three rooms were vacated on the sixth floor. The Fire Department reported minor smoke damage to the hallway.

A hotel employee said there was a meeting for the International Association of Police Chiefs on the seventh floor of the building above the reported explosion. Members of the association were seen exiting the hotel with other residents during the initial evacuation.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Scottsdale, AZ – Sprinkler system does its job in overnight laundry fire at FireSky Resort

Firefighters from three cities responded to an early morning fire at the FireSky Resort & Spa in Scottsdale shortly after midnight. When they arrived, they saw smoke billowing from a building to the north of the complex. That building houses a laundry facility. Firefighters saw a commercial-size dryer on fire, but the building’s sprinkler system did its job, keeping the flames contained until crews got there. 

“It took over 30 firefighters to bring the situation under control,” Battalion Executive Officer David Folio said. The fire did not extend to any other part of the resort and firefighters did not have to evacuate anybody. No injuries were reported.