By Assistant Chief Jim Eden, LSFD

LEE’S SUMMIT, MO – On Saturday, February 13, 2021, at 4:52 p.m., the Lee’s Summit Fire Department responded to reported structure fire at America’s Best Value Inn, 1020 SE Blue Parkway.

A staff member investigating a fire alarm in a second floor guest room discovered the source of the smoke was a fire in the meeting room below it. He used a fire extinguisher to fight the fire and called 911. A second call was received from the alarm company.

When the fire department arrived, there was nothing visible from the outside of the three-story hotel. The alarms were sounding and the building was being evacuated.

Crews entered the building and found light smoke on the first floor and a small fire still burning in the first floor meeting room. The fire was extinguished and crews opened up more of the wall above the window and in the guest room above the meeting room to check for fire spread and confirm the fire was out. A search of the rooms around the involved area were searched and cleared.

Once the fire was under control hotel guests were allowed back in the lobby to get them out of the bitter cold. Crews assisted with smoke removal from the building. The incident was under control by 5:14 p.m.

Fire damage was contained to the inside of the wall above the meeting room window and the wall below the window of the second floor guest room. There was light smoke damage to the meeting room, with little to no smoke damage to the second floor guest room and the remainder of the hotel. The meeting room was still being remodeled from the fire in the wall mounted heating unit on January 1, 2021.

The exact cause of the fire could not be determined, but is possibly due to improperly discarded smoking materials.

All guests were allowed to reoccupy the hotel. The guest in the involved room was relocated to another room.