Hotel guests jump to safety as blaze rips through NH inn

Hotel guests at a well-known New Hampshire resort jumped to safety as a raging fire ripped through the inn over the weekend.

Two firefighters and two civilians ended up being treated following the massive blaze that tore through the south wing of the Red Jacket Mountain View Resort in North Conway Saturday afternoon. That part of the hotel is now destroyed.

More than 150 guests were staying at the Red Jacket resort as heavy fire was reported in the south wing at around 2:47 p.m. on Saturday. The first firefighter crews at the scene saw fire and smoke pouring from the third floor in the south wing, where guests were evacuating.

At one point, some guests could be seen jumping from upper-level to lower-level balconies before safely escaping at the ground level.

The high wind gusts caused the fire to progress quickly, making it a major challenge for firefighters, North Conway Fire Chief Pat Preece said during a Sunday press conference. They received initial reports that children were trapped in the building, but fortunately, everyone ended up being accounted for.

“Very relieved,” Preece said about every guest and employee being accounted for. “Like every fire chief or every normal human being. Very relieved.”

The fire chief was asked whether there were sprinklers in the south wing. That section of the hotel was built in the 1970s, which was before sprinkler requirements, according to Preece.

The two injured firefighters were treated for heat-related exhaustion. One of the civilians was treated for shortness of breath, and the other civilian had a diabetic complication and couldn’t get to her medication in the building burning.

Nearly 30 communities provided mutual aid for the massive blaze, which is now under investigation.

“At this point, the investigation is active and ongoing,” said State Fire Marshal Sean Toomey. “We’re asking that any of the witnesses or anyone who was here that has information call our office at 603223-4289.

“It will be a bit before we have any definitive information based on the loss of the fire,” he added. “It’s going to be based a lot on witness statements and information from the people who were at the hotel, just because of the extent of damage.”

Investigators are trying to pinpoint the origin of the fire. There are no suspicious “criminal indicators,” Toomey said.

Red Jacket Managing Director Justin Grimes said the resort experienced “a really unfortunate event.”

“But frankly, it’s thanks to the North Conway Fire Department and so many local area first responders, the heroic efforts of them that allowed the fire in the south wing to be contained and ultimately extinguished before spreading further,” Grimes said.

The hotel will remain closed for the foreseeable future.