Fire at Grand Island Holiday Inn

GRAND ISLAND, N.Y. (WIVB) - A rude awakening this morning for guests at the Grand Island Holiday Inn. A two-alarm fire caused the hotel to be evacuated.

At about 10:15 Sunday morning, Sara Elsadek's alarm clock came in the form of a smoke alarm.

"We were in a wedding party. So we woke up this morning and heard alarms. And it was very annoying at the time. We didn't think it was serious. Then we got phone calls from our friends saying evacuate," Elsadek says.

They were on the top floor of the Grand Island Holiday Inn. Below them on the fourth, a fire has ignited in room 455.

"We smelled smoke and we knew it was time to go," she says.

The hotel was evacuated even before firefighters arrived. The flames were just in that one room, but because of the multiple floor building, firefighters had to be careful.

"Anytime we have a high-rise incident, we take it with a little more seriousness than we would. Obviously we have 4 floors of stairs to walk up with equipment and personnel and the heat today played a big factor to make sure the guys stayed hydrated," says Chief Kevin Koch of the Grand Island Fire Company.

They searched the rooms to make sure they were empty. And after putting down the flames in room 455, they found where it started. The room's single bed.

"At this time the cause is still being investigated. But it was obviously something in the bedding. We're just trying to pinpoint what it was," Koch says.

As for the cause, it's not determined because the guest had already checked out before the fire started.

There is smoke and fire damage in that room. Plus the fourth-floor hallway. And there is water damage on the floor below from the sprinklers.

As for Elsadek and her boyfriend, they just took in all in stride.

"I'm from California and he's originally from Colorado, the states that usually catch on fire. So we're used to this," she says.

No one was hurt in the fire. It caused about $35,000 damage.