Abandoned Hotel Fire A 'Firefighter's Dream'
DENVER (CBS4) - Smoke from an abandoned hotel fire Friday afternoon could be seen for miles.
The fire broke out at the Rockies Inn at Interstate 25 and Evans and started raging in just minutes. Fire had already engulfed the roof of the hotel before firefighters arrived. Copter4 was overhead when the third floor collapsed.
"This is like a firefighter's dream. When you arrive you know you're going to go to right work," Denver Fire spokesman Luis Cedillo said.
The plume of smoke could be seen across the city.
The building was abandoned and nobody was believed to have been inside. Arson investigators were on the scene, but arson is not initially thought to be the cause of the fire. Investigators say they may never know how the fire started.
PHOTO GALLERY: Building Burns Down At I-25 & Evans
"Based on the extent of heavy damage, that will be hard to find," Cedillo said.
Stormi Lawson had gone by the Rockies Inn hotel just minutes before it went up in flames.
"You couldn't feel the heat but the smoke was just everywhere. It was just unbelievable. You couldn't even see the building there was so much smoke," Lawson said.
Denver Fire says they rarely see a fire like it where the destruction is so complete so quickly.
No other buildings were harmed and nobody was injured.
Crews went to the hotel a few weeks ago to remove asbestos insulation before demolition. That put firefighters at even lower risk when they responded to the fire.
