Hotel / Motel, Hotel / Restaurant Salisbury, MD – Sprinklers contain overnight fire at LaQuinta Inn & Suites; No injuries reported July 14, 2016 viking210 An early Thursday morning fire at the LaQuinta Inn & Suites in Salisbury forced the evacuation of hundreds of people, authorities said. According to the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office, the fire broke out at around 1 a.m. in the kitchen storage area of the hotel, located at 300 S. Salisbury Blvd. An automatic fire alarm went off and a fire sprinkler activated, according to investigators. It took 20 firefighters from the Salisbury Fire Department approximately half an hour to get the blaze under control. However, authorities said the sprinkler activation contained the fire to the area of origin. There were no reported injuries. The fire caused an estimated $10,000 in damage to the structure and another $500 in damage to its contents. Authorities ruled the fire accidental and said it was caused by the spontaneous combustion of dish towels. The hotel was at full capacity at the time of the fire with several hundred occupants, according to Salisbury Assistant Fire Chief Bryan Records. Records also mentioned that many of the people at the hotel were there because of the USSSA softball tournament happening in Salisbury this week. Just about everyone evacuated the hotel on their own without any incidents, but Records said firefighters doing a sweep from room to room had to escort a handful of people, and a few dogs, out of the hotel. Everyone was let back inside the hotel by around 2:30 a.m. Records added that the hotel would not be serving its usual continental breakfast Thursday morning as the kitchen would remain closed until the Health Department could come to expect it.
