FD: Blaze at hotel spotted by police officer

CROMWELL — A town police officer on routine patrol is credited with raising the alarm when fire broke out in the Motel 8 early Monday, according to fire officials.

The fire, which broke out at 1:42 a.m., was confined to the third floor of the threestory motel, which is located at 1 Industrial Park Road in the shadow of Interstate 91.

No one was injured in fire, according to Fire Lt. Brett Hallden.

However, as a precaution, some of the guests staying in the 90-room motel were checked at the scene, Hallden said.

Hallden said the credit must be given the police officer “for giving us advance notification.”

“An observant police officer came across the fire during routine patrol, prior to the building’s alarm system activating,” Hallden said in an email Monday.

The first fire units arrived on scene within six minutes of receiving notification from police.

Some of the firefighters immediately began fire suppression efforts while others helped evacuate the building.

Firefighters from Berlin, Middletown, Portland, and Westfield all responded to the scene to provide mutualaid assistance to the Cromwell firefighters, as did Hunter’s Ambulance.

Firefighters from Newington and Rocky Hill provided coverage for the town while was extinguished.

In all, Hallden said, it took fire units 30 minutes to bring the flames under control.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the department’s acting fire marshal.

By 9 a.m., a team from a professional cleaning service was cleaning the building of smoke and water damage and repairing the room in which the fire began.

The motel guests were re-located to another venue.

A message seeking comment was left at the hotel.

The town’s health and building departments “are taking the necessary steps” to see the motel is cleaned and repaired, Town Manager Anthony J. Salvatore said.

Once those repairs have been completed, the health and building department representatives “will sign off on the project” and the motel can reopen, he said.

Hallden thanked the other departments that came to Cromwell’s assistance.