FIRE AT THE HOLIDAY INN NORTH ADAMS

I was wondering why all the lights were burning brightly at The former Sleepy's mattress store early this morning when I was driving into work at 3:45 this morning.

The Holiday Inn had to be evacuated around midnight on Monday after a fire in the boiler room sent smoke through the basement and into the first floor. The old sleepy's location was opened for guests to wait but many were standing in the street.

The report of smoke in the building was reported shortly before midnight, right after firefighters finished responding to an alarm that went off at 85 Main St.

Firefighters accessed the basement from an exterior stairwell on the west side, near the Hadley Overpass, and worked their way through the pool area to the boiler room.

I had the opportunity to speak Tuesday morning with Lt. Matt LaBonte of the North Adams Fire Department, he confirmed that firefighters found the fire in a type of plastic trash container in the boiler room which was located in the basement of the Holiday Inn.

Firefighters were working Tuesday morning to clear the building of smoke with positive pressure fans. A single sprinkler head in the boiler room activated, but not until after firefighters arrived.

Guests reported waking to the fire alarms and smelling smoke as they evacuated down the hotel's stairs

Firefighters were able to snuff the blaze pretty quickly.

When I spoke to Lt. LaBonte, I asked him if they thought it might be arson. He replied no.

North Adams Ambulance Service also helped out and had an ambulance at the scene and was overseeing access to the store. American Legion Drive was closed down to traffic between Main and Summer streets to keep it clear for fire trucks.