Guests evacuated after motel room catches fire
CEDAR CITY — The occupants of a motel in downtown Cedar City escaped injury after an early morning fire started in one of the suites.
Cedar City Fire Chief Mike Phillips said the initial call came in to dispatch at 2:29 a.m. Saturday reporting a fire at El Rey Inn, 80 S. Main Street.
Twenty-two firefighters from three engine companies and a heavy rescue truck responded, finding visible flames and smoke emanating from a second-floor room in the motel, Phillips said.
“We made main entry in that first bedroom and got the fire knocked down from the interior,” Phillips said. “We had to use a ladder truck on the exterior to finish putting out the rest of the fire that was burning up on the roof.”
The room where the fire started was unoccupied at the time of the blaze and no injuries were reported, Phillips said, adding that the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
“No one was inside of the room — there was early notification and quick knockdown on it.”
Phillips said the fire caused an estimated $50,000 in damage, with most of it confined to the room that caught fire. The room right below that suite also sustained water damage, and most of the rest of the rooms within that west building also had some smoke damage.
All guests staying in the affected section of the motel were safely evacuated, Phillips said, adding that 17 people were displaced. The group of displaced guests first took temporary refuge in the motel lobby before being relocated to the adjacent Stratford Court Hotel, which is reportedly owned by the same company as the El Rey Inn.
Other than the closure and cleanup work being done in the affected area, business at the motel appeared to be back to normal by Saturday afternoon. Motel officials did not immediately respond to Cedar City News’ request for comment.
This report is based on preliminary information provided by emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
Email: jrichards@stgnews.com
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