CONWAY, N.H. — After 12 hours of work, crews from 28 agencies from across New Hampshire put out the fire at the Red Jacket Mountain View Resort in North Conway early Sunday morning, according to the North Conway Fire Chief Pat Preece.
All 155 guests who stayed at the hotel have been accounted for, officials said at a news conference Sunday afternoon.
The fire at the iconic New England resort began around 2:47 p.m. Saturday, according to a release from the New Hampshire Department of Safety.
When fire officials first arrived at the resort, they saw heavy smoke coming from the third floor's south wing area of the building, according to the release. They also reported seeing guests attempt to escape the fire by jumping out of upper-level to lower-level balconies.
Preece said the south wing of the hotel was built in the 1970s and did not have a sprinkler system in place. Smoke detectors in that area of the hotel did go off, Preece added.
Rumford resident Natalie Morse and her family stayed in the north wing of the hotel. She said the hotel staff was great at escorting her family to safety.
After she left the property, Morse said her family went to another hotel to try to contact management at the Red Jacket.
"There was a line at the door with people from the community dropping off piles of diapers, quilts, blankets, toothbrushes," she said Sunday. "There was a conference room set up there with food and water, so the outpouring of support from the community was really, really amazing."
The Morse family was able to drive home Saturday night and did not need to stay at another hotel in the area. Natalie added the management at the resort has been very helpful and has kept her updated since the fire began.
A spokesperson for the Red Jacket said guests were bussed to nearby hotels and other places to stay the night Saturday. The resort will be closed for the foreseeable future as hotel management works with employees and future guests about what's next.
Two firefighters suffered injuries not considered life-threatening according to Preece. They were treated at the scene and then taken to Memorial Hospital as a precaution. Two guests were also taken to the hospital as a precaution. Preece added at the press conference that the reason for the hospital visits was unrelated to the fire.
The cause and origin of the fire are still under investigation
The New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office is asking anyone with information to call them at 603-223-4289.