3-alarm fire breaks out at Latham Hotel
October 02, 2016 09:07 AM
LATHAM, NY -- “I'm thinking a fire of this magnitude had to have been arson or someone leaving a cigarette unattended,” said Andre Reese. “I don't know,” he said.
Colonie Deputy Fire Coordinator Michael Romano says a call came in about a hotel fire around 10:30 Saturday night.
When fire officials arrived to the Travel Lodge Inn and Suits on Route 9 in Latham they immediately started evacuating guests.
“Obviously we want to save life over property,” Romano said. “Our priority was get the life hazard out of the building,” he said.
Fire officials said the fire started in the back of the building.
One witness told NewsChannel 13 he saw two people being rescued from the roof.
“We had heavy fire coming out the rear of the building,” Romano said. “The initial company made a rescue of two occupants off the roof. They're fine they're not hurt,” he said.”
Before firefighters were called, the hotel's manager, Bala Geddam, says a woman staying in room 120 came out completely naked yelling that her room was on fire.
“I call 911 then I left because I'm not sure if she's telling right or wrong because she's a drunk girl anyway,” said Geddam. “Then I went there and by the time smoke and fire, fire came in,” he said.
Andre Reese says he on his way to sleep in his hotel room when he heard a pounding on his door.
“I was alerted by the police that there was a fire going on,” Reese said. “I came out to a huge blaze. I'm glad that they alerted me to the fire because I had no idea,” he said.
Multiple fire departments responded to the scene.
Fire officials say so far no one was injured.
It’s still not clear how much of the building is damaged or how the fire began.
“It doesn't look real good right now for the building,” Romano said.