Category Archives: Fire

by | March 7, 2011 · 9:01 am

Hospitality Industry Fire Risks: West Virginia Hotel Fire Kills One Guest As Lack Of Sprinkler System, High Winds And Downed Power Lines Thwart Fire Fighters

“…the hotel is about 50 years old and does not have a sprinkler system. The fire, coupled with 30 to 40 mile-per-hour winds, knocked down nearby power lines, forcing the rescue crews back…”

“…The broken live wires forced rescue crews to wait for the power company to arrive at the scene and disconnect the power…”

One person was found dead Saturday morning at the site of a fire that burned a Logan County motel to the ground the day before. The Logan Motor Lodge on Rt. 10 caught fire at about 11:30 p.m. Friday night, Logan firefighter Chris Hatfield said. Firefighters spent about 10 hours battling the blaze, during which one person was reported missing.

It’s not clear whether the body found Saturday morning was that of the missing person. Authorities have not released the name of the person.

Forty of the hotel’s 45 rooms were occupied at the time of the fire, Hatfield said. No other injuries were reported.

“We had a lot of difficulty as far as the high winds were concerned,” Hatfield said.

For more:  http://wvgazette.com/News/201103060427

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by | February 23, 2011 · 6:55 pm

Hotel Industry Property Risks: Central Florida Hospitality Industry Working With Law Enforcement To Train Employees To Avoid Acting On "Prank Calls" That Damage Property (Video)

Members of Central Florida’s hotel and hospitality industry said they have trained workers to watch out for these pranksters to avoid property damage.

“We’re glad the [Orange County] Sheriff’s Office has been keeping an eye on these and getting to hotel employees prior to anything happening anywhere,” said Brian Martin, communications director for Visit Orlando, formerly known as Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ejj95mIBwU0&feature=player_embedded]

Deputies at the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said a clerk at an International Drive-area hotel received an automated call from an unknown caller Feb. 9 saying to pull the fire alarm and activate fire sprinklers because of a blaze in the hotel.

Cpl. Marcus Camacho of the Sheriff’s Office said employees in both incidents immediately disconnected the call and didn’t heed the callers’ warnings — a positive sign the hotel industry is on to these pranksters.

For Central Florida, an area synonymous with tourism and hospitality, the pranks pose a particular danger to travelers, the hotel industry and local law-enforcement officers, who must be pulled from other duties to respond to the bogus incidents.

Similar pranksters in 2009 succeeded in tricking hotel employees and guests — including an Indian River County sheriff’s deputy — to trash hotel rooms, causing thousands of dollars in damage to hotel property and personal belongings.

The sheriff’s corporal has been following these incidents for several years and thinks many of them are possibly linked to a Canadian group called PrankNet or a copycat caller.

The group, also known as Prank University and PrankU, has gained notoriety across the country. Pranks the group orchestrates are often played live over a members-only Internet chat room and have led victims to destroy private property in an effort to save themselves from what they perceive as imminent danger.

For more:  http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2011-02-23/news/os-hotel-pranknet-calls-20110223_1_pranknet-hotel-room-gas-leak

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by | February 5, 2011 · 9:43 am

Hospitality Industry Fire Risks: Canadian Hotel Health Club Sauna Fire Caused By "Short-Circuited Ceiling Light"

An almost full Chateau Laurier was evacuated Thursday night after a fire broke out in the sauna room, and while the investigation was still ongoing Friday morning, early indications were that a ceiling light may have short-circuited.

The fire was contained to the sauna, which is encased in thick masonry, said fire department spokesman Marc Messier. Perrin added that while it is a heritage building, the hotel’s electrical systems have been updated and are regularly checked to make sure they’re up to code.

The historic, 99-year-old hotel was at 91-per-cent capacity, firefighters said. The blaze broke out at about 11:40 p.m. in the sauna ceiling on the main floor and it was brought under control by midnight. No injuries were reported, and damage was estimated at about $12,000. Hotel guests gathered in the lobby where blankets, hot chocolate and more were passed around, said hotel spokeswoman Deneen Perrin. Staff were also on hand to provide regular updates during the 20 minutes that guests needed to be out of their rooms.

The fire was initially reported by overnight cleaning staff who were working in the pool area, which was closed, and saw some smoke. While the nearby health club is open 24 hours a day, no one was using it at the time, Perrin said.

Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Chateau+Laurier+sauna+fire+forces+evacuation+near+capacity+hotel/4228769/story.html#ixzz1D6g2fkOB

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by | January 18, 2011 · 8:44 am

Hospitality Industry Fire Risks: Hotel And Motel Fires Can Be Mitigated By "Fire Safe" Training And Inspections That Insure Operational Smoke Alarms And Sprinkler Systems

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HkRb3f8-C8]

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