Tucson Fire Department is investigating the cause of a Tuesday night blaze that damaged several rooms of a south side motel, authorities said.
Shortly after 11 p.m., Tucson Fire dispatched a single crew to respond to a 911 call of a brush fire at the Knights Inn, located in the 1000 block of East Benson Highway. While the crew was en route, 911 received a second call for a fire coming from a downstairs room at the motel, at which point the call was upgraded to a full alarm and additional crews sent to battle the blaze, said Tucson Fire spokesman, Capt. Barrett Baker.
The first crew that arrived noticed a first floor room engulfed in flames, with smoke and fire extending over the second floor landing, and threatening to spread to other rooms, Baker said.
Firefighters began to extinguish the blaze on the bottom floor while a second hose was used on the second floor landing, to ensure that the fire didn't spread into any other rooms. Crews were able to confine the fire to a single room on the bottom floor, which sustained heavy smoke and fire damage. Two rooms on the second floor were also damaged by smoke, but no one was injured in the blaze, Baker said.
Nine units consisting of 23 firefighters were able to bring the fire under control within 16 minutes of arriving.
Fire investigators are on the scene to determine the cause and origin of the fire. Representatives of the motel were cooperating with investigators to determine if the room was occupied at the time of the fire, Baker said.
