Fire at Minnesota Hotel Causes $100,000 in Damage

A fire at a Days Inn Hotel in downtown Rochester, Minn., has forced a two-hour evacuation and caused an estimated $100,000 in damage. No injuries were reported.

A Post-Bulletin of Rochester report says the fire Saturday about 6:15 a.m. was sparked by an overheated fryer in the hotel’s restaurant.

Assistant Fire Chief Paul Belau says employees who started the oil fryer for the day noted after a while that it was boiling excessively and wasn’t shutting down. The oil eventually ignited, and a fire extinguisher was ineffective.

Belau says firefighters eventually knocked out the fire. Guests were allowed to return to their rooms about 8 a.m.

An 86-year-old guest with a preexisting medical condition was treated for shortness of breath, but he didn’t need to be hospitalized.