MINERAL WELLS -Betsey Hallman and Sara Caltrider thought the ringing in their hotel room at the Microtel Inn was the alarm clock.
It turned out to be the fire alarm.
"We hit the clock and picked up the phone," Hallman said, sitting in her car at the hotel parking lot Friday morning, surrounded by dozens of firefighters.
The alarm went off around 8 a.m.
"I thought it was a fire drill," Hallman said. "I thought 'I'm gonna get my clothes on.'"
Caltrider said the front desk called to tell them about a fire in the building.
Mineral Wells Volunteer Fire Department Chief Jay Parsons said firefighters and the Wood County Sheriff's Department, along with the night auditor, entered the building and did a room-by-room search of the hotel. The buildings had about 11 rooms occupied and several of the guests had already checked out by the time the blaze started.
Hallman, Caltrider and Hallman's granddaughter left the room and exited the building through the main entrance. The trio joined a handful of other guests in the parking lot as fire crews from all over the county converged on the hotel.
"We could see the fire and smoke and the water damage at the other end of the hotel," Hallman said.
Firefighters from Mineral Wells, Vienna, Pond Creek, Parkersburg, Eastwood, Lubeck, Blennerhassett and Williamstown were on-scene and had the fire out in about 30 minutes.
There were no injuries.
Gas and power company officials were also on-scene to shut down the utilities. Police cordoned off the area, limiting Old Nicolette Road, off W.Va. 14, to emergency vehicles only. Crews remained on-scene well into the afternoon.
Parsons said the fire, which started in the corner of the attic, was contained to the attic and damaged only two unoccupied rooms. However, half the hotel suffered smoke and water damage. Parsons credited the building's sprinkler system with keeping the blaze contained.
"There was more water damage than anything else," Parsons said. He was hesitant to place a dollar amount on the damage. One official pegged damages at $250,000.
A fire marshal was on-scene. The fire investigation team and code enforcement officers were also called in.
Officials ruled the fire accidental and think it was sparked by an electrical short in the attic.
Hotel officials do not know when the hotel will reopen, but expect it will be at least two months.
