Dozens of guests flee 2-alarm fire at Olympia motel with no sprinklers

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- A two-alarm fire broke out at an Olympia motel in the predawn darkness on Friday morning, sending dozens of guests fleeing into the night air.

The call to 911 came moments after midnight that the two-story Quality Inn at 1211 Quince Street SE was burning, according to Asst. Chief Mike Buchanan with Olympia Fire. Firefighters arrived five minutes later to find the fire quickly spreading and called a second alarm.

"As the fire progressed in the attic, it outran our ability to extinguish it and finally after about 25 minutes we had to move to a defensive operation," Buchanan said.

Firefighters knocked down the flames, but some flames were still spotted burning the roof seven hours later. Olympia firefighters warned nearby residents to keep windows closed as smoke continued to drift through the neighborhood.

Firefighters say it was a particularly difficult fire to douse as it spread through hidden spaces. They added there were no sprinklers nor fire walls in the motel to mitigate the spread.

The 80 guests inside the hotel manage to all escape safely and there were no injuries, Buchanan said. Two transit buses were brought to the scene to provide temporary shelter for the displaced guests.

Fifty of the guests were with the City of Olympia mitigation site and have been moved to another motel, Buchanan said. The Red Cross is working with the other 30 to find shelter.

Investigators believe the fire began on a shrub, then went up the siding and into the attic.

"It's going to be a large loss," Buchanan said. "The water damage is extensive."

Investigators are still looking into how the shrub caught fire.