SALEM — No injuries were reported following a four-alarm fire at the Cove Hotel on Monday morning, although the build sustained significant damage.
The Salem Fire Department responded to a call at 9:15 a.m. at the hotel at 40 Bridge St., and observed light smoke showing from the north side of the building. As crews investigated the scene, flames accelerated rapidly due to the wind, and the fire spread throughout the length of the attic above the hotel rooms, according to Salem fire Chief Alan Dionne.
The fire never spread through the roof into the hotel rooms, but destroyed almost the entire length of the attic, which contained heating, air conditioning, and other ductwork, Dionne said. The main structure of the building wasn’t damaged, but the roof of each hotel room had to be pulled out by firefighters in order to reach the attic and extinguish the flames.
“This place was just renovated, so the sprinklers, alarm system, and everything worked,” Dionne said. “It’s unfortunate that there was a fire, and it got a good hold of the building, but I attribute the fact that the roof is still on this building to the fact that they had working sprinklers in there.”
Five of the hotel rooms were occupied, but all individuals were outside upon the Fire Department’s arrival. No injuries were reported.
“(It was a four-alarm fire) because we needed the additional manpower,” Dionne said. “We need a lot of extra help on a day like this, because we basically had to go into every single hotel room and pull out each ceiling.”
The fire took about 1½ to 2 hours to fully extinguish it, according to Dionne.
The blaze was determined to have started in the attic. Salem police, firefighters and the State Fire Marshal’s office are investigating the cause.