VENTURA : 150 Guests Evacuated During Fire at Hotel
A small fire that erupted in a room at the Country Inn in Ventura sent about 150 guests into the cold during an evacuation of the hotel Saturday evening.
The fire was reported about 5:45 p.m. when an alarm sounded and guests noticed smoke, said Ventura Fire Department Battalion Chief Roger Morgenthal. Sparked by an overheated air-conditioning unit, the blaze was quickly doused by sprinklers and firefighters, Morgenthal said.
But it took firefighters more than an hour to ventilate the hotel with high-powered fans. Guests waited in the parking lot of the hotel in the 200 block of South Chestnut Street until authorities allowed them to return to their rooms.
Carolle and Preston Burrow of Tarzana, who were on a weekend getaway, took the fire in stride.
“It was no big deal,” said Preston Burrow. “Just a little bit of smoke and a long wait. At least the alarms worked.”
No injuries were reported, authorities said. A damage estimate was not available late Saturday.
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