LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Hundreds of guests at a Lakewood hotel had to be evacuated after a suspect set off the sprinkler system and activated the fire alarm overnight.
About 300 people were evacuated from the Holiday Inn Denver Lakewood hotel at around 1:30 a.m. after someone used an “open flame, possibly a lighter or a match,” to set off the sprinklers, which flooded the first and second floors as well as the main electrical area, according West Metro Fire spokeswoman Ronda Scholting.
The suspect was taken into custody, but it was not immediately clear what charges that person will be facing.
The City of Lakewood was contacted to help find shelter for the approximately 300 people who were evacuated early Saturday morning.
Evacuation of flooded hotel in 7300 block of West Hampden Avenue is complete. pic.twitter.com/AZQNdF7LND
— WestMetroFire (@WestMetroFire) June 24, 2017
The damage to the hotel is estimated in the thousands of dollars, according to Scholting.