Fire Causes Evacuation of Salt Lake City Hotel

SALT LAKE CITY – A fire ignited in the laundry room of the Marriott Hotel at City Creek Center on Tuesday, forcing the evacuation of the hotel.

All guests and employees were evacuated as firefighters arrived on scene shortly after 3 p.m. The blaze caused heavy smoke inside the building, 75 S. West Temple, according to the Salt Lake Fire Department. Two employees used fire extinguishers to douse the flames.

One employee who was in the hotel when the fire broke out said thick, gray smoke filled the room and made it hard to breathe. Hotel workers and employees from Rhino Laundry and Dry Cleaning Services used trash cans and buckets to help put out the fire.

The fire department reported malfunctioning equipment caused the blaze. The employee, who asked not to be identified, told the Deseret News it was a hot iron that ignited some of the towels and sheets in the room.

Fire crews vented smoke out the hotel and its parking garage. Hotel guests were allowed back inside about 4:15 p.m.

Some laundry and equipment in the room sustained fire damage, a fire official said.

The room was affected by smoke and water damage, but no dollar estimate was immediately available.