SOMERVILLE, MASS. (WHDH) - Several people were rescued and two people were taken to a hospital after a fire at a Somerville hotel Thursday afternoon.
Officials say the fire broke out on the ninth floor of a Holiday Inn and the cause appears to be accidental.
The fire chief says the sprinkler system went off containing the fire to the one room it started in, but heavy black smoke filled the hallway.
One guest broke a window to vent the smoke.
Officials say infrared cameras were used to find people trapped in the smoke.
“When you look in the camera, you see the outline of a body of a person because of the heat the person throws off,” said fire chief Charles Breen.
“The alarms went off, and I opened the door, and it was thick, thick smoke,” said Gary, one of the six people rescued. “I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. I went into emergency mode. I put my mask on and crawled along the floor, and the firefighters were on top of me, like, seconds later.”
The two people taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.
Several people were checked out by EMS on the scene and are expected to be okay.
The hotel suffered significant water and smoke damage.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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