Category Archives: Hotel / Motel

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Santa Monica, CA – Hotel room fire controlled by sprinkler system after microwave caught on fire

A small fire broke out inside a Santa Maria hotel room Tuesday morning, injuring one man and causing significant flooding from the sprinkler system, according to a spokesman. 

Crews received an alert for a fire inside a second-story room of the Hampton Inn and Suites located at the corner of North Broadway and Preisker Lane shortly before 5 a.m., according to Santa Maria Deputy Fire Chief Todd Tuggle. 

The blaze initially triggered a smoke alarm and was quickly followed by a water flow alarm, which is connected to the alarm company and alerted the Fire Department. The Department sent two engines, a truck and a battalion chief to the scene. 

Upon arriving, firefighters noted smoke and located the hotel room with the fire, which was kept in check by the sprinkler system but was eventually put out by crews. 

Additionally, firefighters found a man in his 30s in the hotel lobby who was pulled out of the smoke-filled room by a bystander awakened by the alarms, Tuggle said. 

The man was treated by firefighters for smoke inhalation, abrasions and minor lacerations, then transported to Marian Regional Medical Center via American Medical Response ambulance for further treatment and released. 

An investigation revealed that the room was being rented out by a good Samaritan for a homeless veteran, who was microwaving something and lost track of time, according to Tuggle, causing the microwave to burst into flames and catch the desk on fire. 

The man became trapped in the hotel room and tried to escape out of the window, suffering lacerations in the process. 

Tuggle said the sprinkler system caused significant damage to the room, with the adjacent room and downstairs lobby also suffering significant water damage. 

Two more Santa Maria Fire engines and an investigator and a Santa Barbara County District Attorney arson task force investigator also responded to the scene, Tuggle said. 

“We are currently understaffed in our investigations divisions,” Tuggle said, adding that the District Attorney’s investigator assists with fires that cause significant damage and start under suspicious circumstances. 

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Falmouth, MA – Hotel fire doused by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A sprinkler system douse a fire in a room of a Falmouth hotel. Firefighters responded to a report of a structure fire at the InnSeasons Resort Surfside on Menauhant Road sometime after 5:30 PM. The fire was out when crews arrived and no injuries were reported. Inspectors were called to check damage from the fire and water damage from the sprinkler. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

In a statement, Falmouth Fire-Rescue tells CWN that 5:13 PM on July 13th, they responded to a fire at the InnSeason Resort Surfside, 134 Menauhant Road in East Falmouth. A guest was cooking on the stove and the oil caught fire. The guest tried to move the pan to the sink. This caused the fire to spread and activate the sprinkler system. The fire was put out by the single sprinkler head. After a quick investigation by the first arriving crew, the sprinkler system was shut down. The fire and smoke damage was limited to the kitchen area and the water from the sprinkler was contained to the room and the hallway directly outside the room.

This incident brings up 2 very important issues. The first being what to do when a pan catches fire. The best and safest way to extinguish a pan on fire is to place a lid on it and then turn off the stove. The lid will smother the fire by restricting the oxygen. Never move a burning pan, you can spread the fire. Never use water to put out a grease or oil fire, it will spread the fire.

The second important issue is that Sprinklers saves lives. This single sprinkler head protected not only the family staying in the room, but the other guests in the building. The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) have an ongoing campaign to increase the use of residential sprinklers.

Some facts about residential sprinklers from the NFPA:
• The civilian death rate was 81 percent lower in homes with fire sprinklers than in homes without them.
• The average firefighter injury rate was nearly 80 percent lower when fire sprinklers were present during fires.
• When sprinklers were present, fires were kept to the room of origin 97 percent of the time.
• The home fire death rate was 90 percent lower when fire sprinklers and hardwired smoke alarms were present. By comparison, this death rate is only 18 percent lower when battery-powered smoke alarms are present but automatic extinguishing systems weren’t.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Napa, CA – Hotel fire sprinklers, activated by heat, contained fire to bathroom

Guests at the Hampton Inn and Suites in south Napa were evacuated when smoke activated a fire alarm at 8 p.m. Sunday, the Napa Fire Department reported.

Napa Fire said the smoke was discovered to be coming from a locked guest room. Firefighters found a small fire in a bathroom that had been partially put out by the automatic sprinkler system, Fire Capt. Steve Becker said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Guests were able to return inside after 90 minutes, Becker said.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Victoria, BC, Canada – Fire sprinkler stops fire from spreading at hotel that houses the homeless

A fire at the former Comfort Inn and Suites Tuesday morning was confined to one fourth-floor room, but up to 20 units could need some form of water remediation, says Victoria Fire Department Deputy Chief Dan Atkinson.

The site also had a fire May 24 that didn’t spread beyond a single room.

The building at 3020 Blanshard St. offers accommodation to people who were previously living in tents in Topaz Park or along a stretch of Pandora Avenue, a transition made possible after the provincial government bought the facility last month for $18.5 million.

Residents are supported by Our Place Society and the Victoria Cool Aid Society.

Atkinson said the first 911 call was received about 8:20 a.m. and crews were able to put the fire out quickly. One occupant had been in the unit but got out safely.

“It was a room-and-contents fire and it did activate the sprinkler system,” he said. “The sprinkler system did a really good job of not allowing it to spread too radically.”

Remediation in the other rooms could range from pulling up the carpet and bringing in fans to working on drywall and paint.

He said there is bound to be a fair bit of damage, “being that it was on the fourth floor and water runs downhill.”

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Las Vegas, NV – Fire sprinklers contain fire from unattended candle to bedroom at resort; No injuries reported

5:42 A.M.
The Clark County Fire Department responded to a report of a fire at the Villas at Flamingo, located at 5525 W. Flamingo Rd. Crews found that a residential sprinkler head contained the fire to a bedroom, and no injuries were reported. The cause of the fire was determined to be a candle that was left unattended.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Belgrade, MT – Hotel sprinkler system stops fire from spreading to hotel after car catches fire under portico; No injuries reported

Crews quickly snuffed out a car fire Friday afternoon at a Belgrade hotel.

Witnesses said a car under the portico caught fire at the La Quinta Inn and Suites off Jackrabbit Lane shortly after 3 p.m.
The building’s sprinkler system kicked in protecting the hotel but the fire spread to the hotel van parked under the portico and into the roof.

Officials say there was a hotel evacuation, but no injuries were reported. Bozeman Fire responded with big extension ladder truck along with Central Valley and Hyalite Fire.

The fire remains under investigation at this time.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

West Kelowna, BC, Canada – Sprinkler system helps contain fire in Resort Spa after improper disposal of oil soaked rags

West Kelowna Fire Rescue were called into action around 12:30 at the Cove Lakeside Resort on Thursday.

According to officials, reports of smoke in the resort’s spa area prompted the call to emergency crews who found a waste paper basket fire upon arrival.

The building’s fire protection sprinkler/early detection system helped contain the fire before it could be extinguished by WKFR firefighters.

An investigation determined the small fire was started by spontaneous combustion due to the improper disposal of oil soaked rags and concluded.

It’s not being considered as suspicious.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Normal, IL – Hotel coffee and souvenir shop fire stopped by fire sprinklers; No injuries reported

A fire at the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Normal caused an evacuation and the closure of the coffee and souvenir shop Thursday morning.

The Normal Fire Department was called to the hotel just after 7:30 a.m. for a report of a fire in the Caffeina’s Marketplace Cafe.

Hotel operations were unaffected by the blaze.

Heavy damage was reported to the cafe itself and water damage throughout the lobby. A dollar estimate of damage was not available by Thursday afternoon.

No injuries were reported in the incident, according to the NFD.

An employee attempted to use a fire extinguisher but the hotel’s sprinkler system was activated to slow the spread of the fire, according to a release by the NFD.

An alarm sounded and hotel employees assisted guests to evacuate safely.

The NFD reported the atrium smoke evacuation system activated and began rapidly ventilating the smoke from the atrium while firefighters pulled hoses into the building to extinguish the fire.  The fire was deemed out in about 25 minutes.  Firefighters searched and extinguished hot spots and used tools to open up the ceiling space and some of the wall spaces within the café to look for fire hidden in the void spaces.   

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant

Winnipeg, MB, Canada – Confirmed arson fire stopped from spreading at hotel thanks to fire sprinkler system

The city says firefighters were called to the scene of a fire at a hotel in the 1800 block of Wellington Avenue around 3:19 p.m. on Friday. While crews were responding, the city said further reports were made to 911 that there was a fire in one of the suites.

Firefighters found smoke in the first floor hallway of the hotel and began an offensive attack. The city said the fire was under control very quickly, thanks in part to the hotel’s automatic sprinkler system that had activated and stopped the fire from spreading.

Other areas of the hotel had some minor smoke and water damage. The city said there are no damage estimates at this time.

All the people in the hotel were able to self-evacuate, and one person was assessed by paramedics on scene but did not need to go to the hospital. There were no other injuries reported.

Police confirmed that the fire was a result of arson. 

Apartment Building, Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant, Residential

Kamloops, BC, Canada – Fire sprinklers keep fire under control at hotel; No injuries reported

A fire last night at the Sandman Inn and Suites left 65 people without a place to sleep.

Around 8:20 p.m., Kamloops Fire Rescue (KFR) was called to the hotel (which also has apartments), says Platoon Capt. Troy Grant.

“Arriving a couple of blocks away, we could see flames on the roof of the building,” he tells KamloopsMatters. “The fire was in the attic and going through the roof in a couple of spots.”

KFR was able to quickly knock the fire down, using hoses from the outside and a ladder truck. They did have to remove a six-foot-by-12-foot section of the roof to get to it.

No injuries were reported, but the building remained empty overnight.

“65 residents were displaced,” Grant says. “Those have been taken care of by emergency support services.”

He adds that some will likely be able to return to their homes tonight, but others won’t be so lucky. The fourth floor, where the fire took place, has apartments, he adds. Along with some smoke damage and the removed section of the roof, he says there’s extensive water damage in some units, and likely more below.

“The cause of fire was in the attic itself; it appears electrical in nature,” Grant says. “The fire was kept small by the sprinkler system — the sprinklers were on for some time.”

Because of that, the roof collapsed in one unit and is sagging in others.

While the fire was knocked down relatively quickly, Grant says KFR stayed on the scene for a couple of hours to help guests and residents move out of the building.