Fire crews snuff out small fire at Cecil Hotel

By KELLEN TANIGUCHI on April 16, 2021.

Fire crews were on scene at the Cecil Hotel late Thursday morning to contain a structure fire.--NEWS PHOTO KELLEN TANIGUCHI

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At approximately 10 a.m. on Thursday, all three of the city’s fire stations responded to a report of a fire in a third floor apartment at the Cecil Hotel on the 700 block of Fourth Street SE, says acting platoon chief Scott Nadeau.

Crews launched a fast attack and the small fire was under control quickly. Nadeau adds the sprinkler systems at the hotel were engaged.

Firefighters were seen on the roof of the building assessing the situation through a fire escape and crews were still on scene at noon.

Jamie Ensor, a manager at the hotel, says a faulty radiator in one of the apartments caught the floor on fire. He adds the damage was contained to mostly water damage in the room the fire started in and the room below it.

“The rest of the building is fine. The two rooms just need a few repairs and water damage and stuff like that take a while to get them back up and running again,” said Ensor.

The fire was contained within 30 minutes to an hour, says Ensor, who says he was happy with how quickly firefighters attended the scene and he appreciated the city’s help.

Nadeau says an investigation is still ongoing to determine the official cause.