Tag Archives: Hotel Fire

Hospitality Industry Risk Update: “L.A. Hotel Fire Kills 1, Injures 15; Some Jump From Windows to Escape”

“Of the 29 people who were staying at the hotel, 15, including a child, were hurt and suffered minor to serious injuries, fire officials said. Most of the injured suffered broken bones from jumping,LA hotel fire fire officials said. Alejandro Lopez, 40, said he was trapped inside his room and the intense flames left him with only one option: Jump out of the window.”

A man was killed and 15 were injured when flames overtook a hotel early Thursday in Wilmington, forcing some people to jump out of windows.

People were trapped by flames inside the two-story Wilmington Hotel at 111 E. C St. shortly after 3 a.m. as firefighters arrived, said Erik Scott, spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Other hotel residents jumped out of windows to escape the flames.

For more: http://lat.ms/1G7cf4F

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Filed under Fire, Guest Issues, Hotel Industry, Injuries, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Hospitality Industry Management Update: “Common Fire Code Violations” (Video)

[vimeo https://vimeo.com/107482118 w=500&h=281]

Petra Risk Solutions’ Loss Control Manager, Matt Karp, offers a P3 Hospitality Risk Report – ‘Common Fire Code Violations’. 

P3 (Petra Plus Process) is the Risk Management Division of Petra Risk Solutions – America ’s largest independent insurance brokerage devoted exclusively to the hospitality marketplace.

For more information on Petra and P3 visit petrarisksolutions.com or call 800.466.8951.

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Filed under Fire, Hotel Industry, Insurance, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Training

Hospitality Industry Risk Management Update: “Code Violations Plagued The Majestic Hotel Before Fire”

“…In an evaluation of the hotel in 2012, the fire chief predicted the hotel’s ultimate demise stating, “In the event of a fire it is anticipated portions of the yellow brick will begin to fail at an early state in the fire’s development.Image To place the cities firefighters inside the yellow brick building under those firefighting conditions is to needlessly expose them to injury or death…”

Two weeks ago today an historic hotel, more than 100 years old, went up in flames. Tonight, we’re learning more about what Hot Springs city leaders did to try and prevent the Majestic Hotel fire. Talk to just about any Hot Springs resident and they’ll give you a memory of the Majestic.

One bystander said, “That was the restaurant there and 20 years ago my husband and I had our first date there.” Another person said, “We had our wedding reception in the Majestic.” In the 1950’s the hotel became so popular, construction crews added on to it.

For more: http://www.arkansasmatters.com/story/d/story/code-violations-plagued-the-majestic-hotel-before/52879/rJ44s7w9-ku2EpG5lLKoGw

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Filed under Fire, Hotel Industry, Insurance, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Structural Damage

Hospitality Industry Employee Crime: New York Hotel Security Director Arrested For Arson After Setting A Series Of Small Fires In Hallways And Stairwells; “Working Vacation” While Hotel Was Shut Down For Repairs

“…(the suspect) was the director of security — and according to his  wife the fire safety director —- for the Yotel hotel near Times Square (and) Hospitality Industry Employee Crimeset a series of blazes that shut down the building for days, freeing him to get  liquored up on the job in guest rooms, FDNY sources said…(he) would light newspapers to set the rubbish fires late  at night or early in the morning while he was on duty…No one was injured in the  blazes, but the source said the small fires would also temporarily close the bars and  nightclubs inside…the hotel would then be  shut down for repairs, giving him a working vacation…”

City fire marshals arrested Barbosa, of West New York, N.J., on Friday,  charging him with setting five small rubbish blazes in the hallways, stairwells  and emergency exits at the Yotel on 10th Ave. over the past two years.

Before that, he allegedly set three fires at the Soho Grand Hotel on West  Broadway — where he worked as a security guard between 2009 and 2010 — including  one just before 3 a.m. on New Year’s Day that brought revelers’ celebrations to  an early close.

Wearing a dark navy suit and a white dress shirt, Barbosa was ordered held on  $50,000 bail. Manhattan prosecutors asked for $20,000, but the arraignment judge  upped the request.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/times-square-hotel-security-chief-arrested-setting-arson-fires-sources-article-1.1463370#ixzz2fdA5nlYl

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Filed under Crime, Guest Issues, Labor Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Texas Hotel Fire Starts In Air Conditioning Unit, Resulting In Extensive Damage And Death Of Elderly Guest From Smoke Inhalation

“…occupants of the actual room where the fire started…woke up in the night to their fire alarm going off and could see fire coming out of the air Hotel Fire and Smoke Damageconditioning unit in their room…the death of hotel guest  Rena Goodson, 74, of Holly Lake Ranch, was attributed to smoke inhalation…she was carried from the burning building by firefighters and transferred to a Dallas hospital, where she died over the weekend…”

Fire investigators said Wednesday that the fire that claimed the life of a Holly Lake Ranch woman and destroyed a large part of the Best Western Trail Dust Inn started in an air conditioning unit.  Assistant Fire Marshall Eric Hill said fire investigators Aaron Kager and David James interviewed hotel guests and combed through the burned out section of the hotel before making the ruling.

The fatal fire broke out sometime before 2 a.m. Saturday in the west wing of the hotel. The assistant fire marshall said the motel was booked to capacity when the fire broke out and forced evacuation of 58 people staying in that section of the hotel. Another 150 people were evacuated from adjoining buildings, which were threatened by the fire that stretched firefighting resources.

For more:  http://www.myssnews.com/news-telegram/news/22372-fatal-hotel-fire-started-in-ac-unit-ruled-accidental.html

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Filed under Fire, Guest Issues, Injuries, Insurance, Liability, Management And Ownership

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Texas Hotel Undergoing Renovations Suffers Fire Damage As “Hot Temperatures, Matresses Fuel Blaze”

Hotel Fire Investigation“…workers said they think mattresses might have fueled the blaze, but Dallas  Fire officials said they do not have an official cause of the fire…the fire was escalated to three alarms due to the size of the building and the hot and humid temperature inside…the renovated building was set to open as a new hotel in August 2013…”

A building being renovated into a new Homewood Suites was damaged after a  three alarm fire midday Wednesday. Officials with the hotel chain told FOX4 workers were installing dry wall and  flooring when the fire broke out on the fifth floor of the nine story building  shortly before noon.

Construction workers were in the building at the time and were evacuated. The  fire was put out by 12:30 p.m.

Fire officials said they believe the fire was accidental.

Management for the hotel told FOX4 they believe they will be able to make  repairs and still open on schedule.

Read more: http://www.myfoxdfw.com/story/22195836/fire-guts-part-of-downtown-dallas-building#ixzz2SnqpzXUa

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Filed under Fire, Insurance, Maintenance, Risk Management

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Mississippi Hotel Fire Caused By “Lamp Cord Short”; Damage Contained By Room “Designed To Isolate Fires”

“…(the cord) was stuck under the lamp and wore out after a while…friction likely caused the shorted cord to HOTEL FIREignite, and sparks caused the carpet to catch on fire, which then spread to a couch and the wall…”

Starkville Fire Department officials confirmed the cause of a fire Thursday that destroyed the interior of a hotel room at Americas Best Value Inn & Suites on Miss. Highway 12 as electrical. SFD Training Officer Charles Yarbrough said he concluded in his investigation that the fire was started by a short in a lamp cord.

On Thursday, a shift manager at the hotel said  she called 911 after a customer came into the lobby and said he saw smoke emitting from the back of the building. The manager, who refused to be identified, said neither the room where the fire took place nor any nearby rooms were occupied at the time the smoke was first reported and there was no one in the vicinity of the fire.

Yarbrough said everything in the room, from the furnishings to the walls would have to be replaced, but said the hotel’s structural integrity was satisfactory as the rooms were designed to contain and isolate fires.

For more:  http://www.starkvilledailynews.com/node/13339

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Filed under Fire, Insurance, Maintenance, Management And Ownership

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: California Hotel Fire Caused By “Guest Throwing Towel Over Candle”; $30,000 In Structural And Smoke Damage

“… a man staying in the second floor room, a worker in town on business regarding the Chevron refinery HOTEL FIREshutdown, reportedly threw the towel over a lit candle in his room before he left just after 5 a.m., in attempts to put it out…hotel employees discovered the fire about five minutes later, and tried to put it out with a fire extinguisher…”

Fire crews knocked down a two-alarm fire at the Courtyard Marriott early Friday morning after a hotel occupant tried to put out a candle by throwing a towel over it, officials said.

Firefighters arrived at the hotel at 3150 Garrity Way at 5:11 a.m., to find the room had gone up in flames, billowing smoke throughout the hotel. The fire was knocked down within 10 minutes, but not before causing $30,000 in damage, Turner said.

All hotel occupants were evacuated from their rooms, Turner said. Nobody was injured, but some hotel guests were disturbed by the morning’s events.

“The Marriott did a good job of getting everyone out, giving everyone breakfast and making sure all of the guests were safe,” Turner said. “Most people were very happy.”

Fire crews were able to keep the damage to the one room, and the rest of guests were able to return to their rooms early Friday morning,

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Filed under Claims, Fire, Guest Issues, Insurance, Maintenance, Management And Ownership

Hospitality Industry Safety Risks: California Hotel Explosion And Fire Caused By “Illicit Drug-Making Operation” In Guest Room; Walls “Blown Out” And Property Evacuated

“…all guests were evacuated and it took firefighters about 35 minutes to fully contain the flames which had reached into the third story and the attic of the hotel…Because of the drug-making substances that had caused Hotel Explosionthe hotel explosion, a hazardous-materials crew and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration were called in to investigate the illegal drug-making operation…”

An apparent drug-making operation in a hotel room caused a hotel explosion in San Diego on Wednesday shortly after 11 a.m. The explosion which happened in one of the hotel rooms blew out several windows and three walls, reported San Diego’s 10News on Jan. 30, 2013.

“An explosion apparently caused by an illicit drug-making process blew out walls and windows at a Midway-area hotel Wednesday and set part of it ablaze, leaving a young man gravely burned and two other people less severely hurt, authorities reported.”

The hotel explosion occurred in a hotel guest room on the second floor at the three-story Heritage Inn on Channel Way, just south of San Diego’s Interstate 8.

The man who was gravely injured during the hotel explosion had apparently lit a cigarette while using a butane spray can to try to extract hashish oil from marijuana. The flame from his lighter ignited the chemical fumes and caused them to detonate powerfully. The man who is in his early 20s suffered life-threatening burns.

Hash oil is made by packing finely ground stems and leaves of marijuana plants in a pipe and pouring butane through it. The liquid typically is then cooked on a stove to separate the butane. Hash oil averages about 15 percent THC, the chief intoxicant in marijuana. A drop or two is about as potent as a marijuana cigarette.

For more:  http://www.examiner.com/article/illegal-drug-making-hotel-room-causes-hotel-explosion-san-diego

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Filed under Crime, Fire, Guest Issues, Injuries, Insurance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: Pennsylvania Hotel “Fire Alarm System” Fails During Basement Fire; Over 70 Guests Evacuated After Electrical Panel Circuit Found “Dead”

“…the hotel had a small fire in its basement over the weekend, and the fire alarms did not go off…(it was) found that the hotel’s electrical panel that controls the fire alarms was dead and the alarms didn’t work…the fire alarms for hotelshotel’s general manager said they had to evacuate more than 70 guests Tuesday, and they’ve been working since then to replace the fire alarm system..”

A hotel in a Scranton shut down Tuesday night because of a problem with its fire alarm system. It turns out, that hotel may have been without fire protection for weeks, maybe even months.

Scranton firefighters received a tip call from a former employee of the Clarion Hotel in Scranton. That call unraveled what could have been a big problem for the hotel and city officials.

The city’s director of inspections and permits, Mark Seitzinger went with firefighters to check out the tip calls claim.

“It’s dangerous, as of the other day they had 75 occupants or patrons of the building, that’s 75 people not including employees that are at risk because there’s no fire system,” said Seitzinger.

On the city’s advice, hotel managers made the call to evacuate all of those 75 guests and sent them to nearby hotels. Among the displaced were realtors who were supposed to have a certification class at the Clarion, but they had to change their plans and move to another venue in Clarks Summit.

For more:  http://wnep.com/2013/01/09/hotel-replaces-faulty-fire-alarms-following-small-fire/

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Filed under Fire, Guest Issues, Liability, Management And Ownership, Risk Management