UPDATE @ 9 p.m.: A state fire marshal's investigator is expected to be at the Days Inn in Butler Twp. on Thursday to try and determine what caused a fire there Wednesday night that forced an evacuation and damaged at least eight rooms.
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"We thought it was a lot worse," Butler Twp. Fire Chief Dan Alig said. "We thought [fire] was in the attic. If it's in the attic, it's going to run from one end [of the wing] to the other."
Crews dispatched just before 6 p.m. on a report of fire in one of the rooms found smoke coming from the rear wing of the second floor of the hotel, 7470 Miller Lane.
Alig said the fire was in a room that was occupied, but there was no one in the room when the fire started. An on-duty maintenance and painting crew doing renovations smelled smoke and went to check. When one of them entered a room that was filled with smoke, the paint crew went door to door to alert patrons, Chief Alig said.
"There were eight or nine rooms that were occupied and they all got out right away," he said. Once the evacuation was complete, patrons and onlookers were moved to the parking lot of the Red Roof Inn next door.
Flames traveled up the interior wall, the chief said. Four rooms on the second floor rear had smoke damage and four rooms below had water damage. There was heat in the attic, but no fire.
Fire crews from Vandalia, Huber Heights, Harrison Twp., Clayton and Dayton responded to the hotel to assist the Butler Twp. crews, Chief Alig said.
The Days Inn remained open Wednesday night and patrons who were chased from their rooms in the evacuation were allowed to return.
The dollar loss will be estimated Thursday, the chief said.
There were no reported injuries, he said.
UPDATE @ 6:41 p.m.: We're hearing the fire at the Days Inn, 7470 Miller Lane, Butler Twp., is being brought under control as there were several fire/rescue departments on scene.
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Miller Lane has been shut off to traffic at Little York Road to the north, and Maxton Road to the south, until further notice because of the fire.
The hotel has been evacuated before we heard about reports of heavy flames on the roof.
Crews are pulling down ceilings and walls to make sure all the fire has been found and extinguished. Crews are focusing their attention on rooms on the 200 level of the hotel.
Crews from Butler Twp., Clayton and Huber Heights are among those on scene.
INITIAL REPORT
Crews are at the Days Inn, 7470 Miller Lane, on the report of a working fire.
The incident was dispatched just before 6 p.m. and we’re hearing at least one room is burning. There have been no reports of injuries.
Onlookers are being moved away from the hotel, we’re hearing.
We have a crew on the way. We will update this developing report as we learn more.
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