FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – Nearly 300 people were still displaced on Monday afternoon after a fire at the Suburban Extended Stay Hotel in Florence.
Multiple fire stations were called to the fire around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. The West Florence Fire Department was first on the scene at West Lucas St. at the Suburban Extended Stay for a reported hotel fire.
Captain Anthony Fox with West Florence Fire Rescue said firefighters did not see a sprinkler system at the hotel. News13 reached out to Choice Hotels to ask why sprinklers are not a requirement in the hotel.
“There are a lot of people in this complex who lost everything,” said Disaster Manager for The Red Cross of Eastern South Carolina, Lou Palm. Volunteers spent most of Monday afternoon meeting with families who were in need of immediate assistance.
“That may include financial assistance, lodging in the form of a shelter in this case for the people who lived in the building if they have nowhere else to go,” he added.
Florence County Sheriffs Deputies helped evacuate residents from hotel rooms as firefighters put out the fire.
“I was in my room and I smelled smoke coming in,” said Eric Douglas, who had been staying in the hotel for three months. “I went outside and people were banging on doors and windows and trying to open doors and the roof was on fire.”
Douglas was able to save some of his valuables but most things in the room were destroyed.
“I’m pretty much out of clothes and shoes and a lot of other stuff as well,” he added.
There were no injuries reported to either guests at the hotel or responding firefighters.
Captain Anthony Fox from West Florence Fire Rescue said immediate assistance was called for from the city of Florence Fire Department, Windy Hill Fire Department, Howe-Springs Fire Department, Darlington County Fire District, South Lynches Fire Department and Sardis-Timmonsville Fire Department as well as Florence County EMS.
“The fact that we had all these officers come together and take leadership positions to help mitigate this, it does show there’s a brotherhood,” said Fox. “It goes to show that teamwork in this instance was invaluable.”
The Red Cross will meet with people who were displaced on Tuesday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in the hotel lobby.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation by the Florence County Sheriff’s Office Arson Unit.
Major Mike Nunn with the Florence County Sheriff’s Office asks that anyone with information or video of the fire please send them to investigators at pohara@fcso.org or call 843-665-2121, ext 438.
