Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 3, 1995 TAG: 9509050078
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LISA K. GARCIA STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
District Fire Chief Garry Basham said a short circuit started the fire in a third-floor storage room about 2:35 p.m. No one was injured.
The fire was quickly extinguished, but flames and heavy smoke caused about $25,000 damage to the building.
``Once we opened up the room to attack the fire, smoke spread through the building,'' Basham said.
People grabbed their lawn chairs and got comfortable as firefighters broke the storage room window to allow the smoke to escape. Fans were used to push smoke out, but the tight structure made ventilation difficult, according to Basham. None of the windows in the hotel are made to open.
Ben Bennett of Manassas was staying at the hotel with a group visiting for a women's regional softball tournament.
He said a woman in the room next to the storage room heard a loud pop before the fire was discovered.
``The fire alarm went off, and everybody was like `ha, ha,''' Bennett said. ``We thought somebody had pulled a false alarm."
It wasn't until a member of the group, a firefighter from Manassas, investigated and found smoke that the group left the building.
Within an hour and a half, people were allowed back into the hotel.
It was almost too late for one group - the Sloper's softball team, which had a game at 3 p.m. and was unable to get to its equipment from the hotel rooms. Fortunately, by the time team members arrived at the tournament, they found that games were running late, and they were able to play.
by CNB