Hotel Arcata Evacuated after Restaurant Fire Downstairs

Link

Embed

Copy and paste this HTML code into your webpage to embed.

Arcata, Ca., (KIEM)- “Fires in these types of buildings are why we have fire departments,” Battalion Chief Sean Campbell explains as he described the fire that his crews responded to around 8:30 this morning. Sparked near the fish tank inside Tomo Sushi restaurant, the flames quickly generated thick, toxic smoke.

Smoke that billowed up, filtering into the rooms in Hotel Arcata upstairs. It took only moments for fire fighters to arrive on scene, and in a matter of minutes dozens of hotel rooms in the three story building were evacuated.

“Historically, fires like this one destroy city blocks,” Campbell says. Still, the speedy response from the nearby fire department saw the flames knocked down quickly. Tomo suffered an estimated $19,000 in damage, and will have to close for at least a week for repairs. Still, an estimated $708,000 worth of property was saved inside the restaurant. Another $8.2 billion dollars in threatened property was kept from harm by first responders.

Arcata Police helped fire crews to evacuate the hotel, with smoke acting as the largest concern. Soon, the air was cleared and guests were allowed back in their rooms. Power and gas utilities have also been restored to the building.