Fire Damages Ohio Holiday Inn Express: No Injuries

March 10--HEATH, Ohio -- Firefighters from eight departments battled a hotel fire for almost an hour yesterday. Officials said it began near an indoor swimming pool.

The fire in the 75-room Holiday Inn Express, 773 Hebron Rd., began just before 11:30 a.m. in the west end of the hotel in the ceiling of the pool area, said Heath Fire Chief Mark Huggins.

"The wind fanned the fire," Huggins said. "It was actually forcing smoke and fire in and up," he said, pointing toward the wind-whipped drapes of open windows.

The second of four floors collapsed into the pool, likely because of accumulated water from fire hoses.

There were no reports of injuries to guests, hotel workers or firefighters. Five guests and as many as nine employees were inside when the fire broke out, shortly after the 11 a.m. checkout.

Firefighters from Newark, Granville, Hebron, Buckeye Lake and several townships had the fire controlled by 12:15 p.m., Huggins said.

Late yesterday, fire officials said the fire most likely was electrical, but said the cause officially is undetermined. Damage is expected to exceed $1 million.

Six to 12 guest rooms were damaged by smoke or fire, Huggins said. A damage estimate wasn't available.

Real-estate records indicate that the hotel is more than a decade old. It is owned by Shree Goverdhan Hospitality LLC, of Galena in Delaware County. The county auditor places a market value of $3.6 million on the property.

It was renovated about two years ago, said Don Hinton, a hotel manager.

This is the second of five Heath hotels forced to close in a month. The other was purchased for redevelopment, said Susan Fryer, executive director of the Licking County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"I've lost 10 percent of our hotel inventory," she said, equating to $3,700 a month in bed tax.

Dispatch reporter Randy Ludlow contributed to this story.