Queensbury Hotel lint fire closes street

Thursday, January 04, 2007

GLENS FALLS -- A stretch of Ridge Street near the Queensbury Hotel was closed for about 40 minutes Wednesday night while city firefighters put out a small fire in the hotel laundry's dryer vent, said Glens Falls Fire Department Assistant Chief James Schrammel.

A lint fire had started hours earlier in the vent and was mostly put out by a hotel employee, Schrammel said. Hotel staff thought the fire was completely extinguished.

Within a few hours, the fire had rekindled and spread to wood around the metal vents, Schrammel said.

The Fire Department responded at about 6:50 p.m. The fire was out shortly after, Schrammel said.

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The hotel's fire alarms were activated and the hotel was partially evacuated, Schrammel said. No injuries were reported

Fire Burns Vallejo Quality Inn

January 8, 2007

A five-alarm fire first reported at about 10 p.m. Sunday at a Quality Inn sent flames about 30 feet into the air.

Firefighters were able to get the fire under control within a couple of hours, but remained at the scene Monday morning. No injuries have been reported.

The hotel is on Admiral Callaghan Lane near Interstate 80.

A kitchen stove left burning after employees left Sunday afternoon started a five-alarm fire that caused $2 million damage to the Quality Inn and its Good Day Cafe, the Vallejo Fire Department said Monday afternoon.

Fire department spokesman William Tweedy said the flames from the burning stove apparently ignited paper take-out containers and meal order tickets near the stove after employees left between 3 and 4 p.m. The fire spread to a storage area and the attic, Tweedy said.

The fire was reported by an off-duty police officer at 9:58 p.m. Sunday. Firefighters arrived at the two-story, 78-room motel and attached cafe at 44 Admiral Callaghan Lane within four minutes, Tweedy said. Flames at the south side of the motel and cafe reached 35 to 40 feet above the roofline and a second and third alarm was called at 10:05 p.m., Tweedy said.

All rooms in the motel were evacuated and a fifth alarm was called at 10:15 p.m., Tweedy said. Fire crews were unable to access the fire from the roof because it collapsed and crews used a ladder truck as a platform to pour water on the heavily burning fire above the restaurant and prevent the entire motel from burning, Tweedy said.

The fire was contained at 10:45 p.m. and crews were on the scene until 1 a.m. today, Tweedy said. Seventy-seven firefighters responded to the blaze and mutual aid was received from Benicia, American Canyon, Crocket, Fairfield, Suisun and the Solano County Office of Emergency Services and the Medic ambulance company.

No injuries were reported and motel guests in 25 rooms were moved to unaffected rooms, the fire department said.

The owner of the cafe is establishing a relief fund at a local bank to assist her employees with living expenses, Tweedy said.

The motel fire was the third blaze in Vallejo over the weekend.

A four-alarm fire at a two-story, single-family home at 1259 Hale St. and at another residence at 1253 Hale St. at 6:03 p.m. Saturday injured six firefighters and caused $775,000 damage, the fire department said. Three of the firefighters were able to return to work, Tweedy said. The other three suffered knee, hip and elbow injuries.

A resident of one of the homes suffered smoke inhalation. Several pet birds that were kept in the garage at 1259 Hale St. perished. The fire was determined to be accidental, Tweedy said.

A two-alarm fire at 1231 Severus Drive caused $225,000 damage Saturday at 1:34 a.m. The fire was caused by a short or defective motor in a hot tub located in the gazebo in the rear of the house, Tweedy said. The fire set off a smoke detector that alerted residents of the home.

FIRE DAMAGES VACANT HOTEL

Five engines and two ladders of the Tyler Fire Department responded Sunday night to a fire at a vacant hotel under renovation in the 2600 block of West Northwest Loop 323.

No one was inside the hotel at the time of the fire, and no one was injured, officials said.

The call of the fire came in a little after 7:30 p.m. Sunday. The fire was under control about an hour later.

Joey Wiggins, district chief with the Tyler Fire Department, said a passer-by reported seeing smoke coming from the roof of the building.

When the first firefighters arrived on the scene, flames were coming from the roof, Wiggins said.

Most of the fire was on the second floor of the structure. Wiggins estimated that at least 10 units on that floor suffered fire damage, and likely all the rest on that floor suffered smoke and water damage.

There did not appear to be visible damage to the façade of the building.

The concrete roof of the structure likely helped keep the fire in check, Wiggins said.

The cause of the fire was under investigation Sunday night. Investigators were on the scene to determine the cause and origin of the fire.

The owner of the property, Suren Patel, looked on as firefighters got control of the fire Sunday night.

Patel said he was "shocked" to get the call.

He had hoped to open the hotel, what is going to be the Days Inn and Suites, in mid-February.

"It's just going to push back everything," he said.

Two separate buildings make up the hotel at 2631 West Northwest Loop 323. Since the fire was just in one of the buildings, Patel said he expects he might still be able to open the other one as planned

Woman sets herself on fire in Seattle hot

January 9, 2007

- Business was back to normal at Seattle's Marriott Waterfront Hotel Tuesday afternoon after a bizarre incident forced people from their beds at about 1 a.m.

The entire hotel was evacuated and smoke was visible on every floor.

Guest George Stenberg helped put out the small fire.

"There was smoke coming off the ground, and it was like a coat or shirt or something was on fire and it was smoking, and so I started stomping on it with my feet," he said.

Authorities say the fire was a suicide attempt.

Police said a 55-year-old Seattle woman with a history of mental illness checked into the hotel Monday night and early Tuesday morning, she walked into the elevator and tried to set her clothes on fire.

She then left the elevator and barged into a random guest's room.

The 29-year-old guest and Seattle firefighters eventually subdued the woman.