Inn fire ‘could have been a lot worse’
Lis Baldo and her husband Andrés are still trying to comprehend the fire that spread throughout their inn late Wednesday night.
“It was a shock, a terrible, terrible shock,” she said. The couple has owned the Inn on College Drive for nearly 10 years. They’ve never experienced anything like this before.
Baldo said they are grateful staff and the 14 guests safely evacuated with their personal items.
“It could have been a lot worse; you know, there’s material things, but it’s just material. There could have been way more damage,” Baldo added, noting that her guests could have lost their belongings or been injured.
The city worked quickly with the Salvation Army to find accommodations for the uprooted guests in the late hours of the night.
Baldo said the Inn has been a work of love, adding the couple had regular fire inspections to ensure everything was up to standard. She said at times like these it’s important to know what to do when a fire breaks out.
The staff member on site immediately called 911 after noticing the shed was on fire, and proceeded to pull the fire alarm and knock on all the guests’ doors.
“He’s very courageous, and he didn’t go into shock, he did all the right things,” she said.
After the first fire crew arrived, the flames began to spread from the shed to the inn. Two more fire engines, as well as an aerial ladder truck were then sent to the scene.
Baldo said the guests have been encouraging and kind in the aftermath. One guest, an artist at the library, gave her a signed book instead of being upset, Baldo said.
Damages from the fire are estimated at $250,000. Fire officials declared the cause undetermined.
“It’s been very stressful, but at the end of the day all I can say is it was a terrible incident, but it went the best it could,” Baldo said.