Crews Battle Flames, Cold Weather at S.D. Hotel

Nov. 12, 2014
For hours, firefighters battled a fire that spread through the Capitol Inn and Suites in Pierre.

Flames swept through the Capitol Inn and Suites in Pierre Tuesday evening. The building is about a block from South Dakota's State Capitol building.

The fire was reported around 4:30 p.m. while temperatures hovered around 20 degrees.

"I started smelling smoke and thought someone had burned food or something," second floor resident Mike Evans told the Capitol Journal.

"I was asleep and they came around beating on the doors," Wanda Wallace said. "They said it was small, it was contained in one room. I don't know if the wind got it or what."

The Capitol Journal reported that an explosion happened, "throwing one firefighter out of the building."

A post on the Pierre Fire Department's Facebook page stated that no injuries have been reported.

"It was too dangerous to continue aggressive operations," Pierre Fire Chief Ian Paul told the newspaper.

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Flames spread through the attic of the two-story building, which was connected to two other wings.

Five fire departments responded to the fire.

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