(VALDOSTA TODAY) – A Valdosta Fire Department rescued two pets, and a firefighter suffered a minor injury early Thursday morning while responding to a fire at hotel near Interstate 75.
At 3:03 a.m., VFD fire units were dispatched to the LaQuinta Inn and Suites at 1800 Clubhouse Drive.
“Units arrived at 3:08 a.m. to find heavy smoke conditions visible as flames were starting to extend through the roof,” said VFD Chief Freddie Broome. “VFD Firefighters initiated an aggressive evacuation and fire attack while conducting a primary search of the hotel. There were a total of 117 out of 121 rooms occupied. All of the hotel guests and employees were safely removed from the building and the fire was extinguished with multiple hose lines.”
Firefighters were responsible for rescuing two pets while conducting evacuation and search efforts.
The fire was under contral at 4:44 a.m.
There was a total of twenty nine firefighters on the scene, and one firefighter suffered a minor lower extremity injury and was transported to SGMC for evaluation. The firefighter was later released and is doing well. There were no civilian injuries reported, Broome said.
Valdosta Police Department assisted with traffic and crowd control and SGMC EMS assisted with Firefighter Rehab.
The fire started in the laundry room and preliminary findings indicate that the fire cause was electrical. The total damage estimate is $130,000 and the property value is estimated at $2,800,000.
