On a July weekend in Nashville, a Comfort Suites hotel caught fire. Fortunately, no one suffered injury or died. The owner says that the fire damage is minimal and only affected a couple rooms and the roof. However, this outcome could have been dramatically worse. According to guests who were present at the time, fire alarms did not go off.
A guest on the scene said that the hotel’s power had shut off prior to the fire, so no fire alarm triggered. He said that many of the guests were rushing down the halls through the smoke knocking on doors, trying to make sure everyone escaped the building unharmed.
WHEN FIRE ALARMS DON’T GO OFF
In most fires when smoke alarms fail, the cause is due to missing, dead or disconnected batteries or wires. However, sometimes negligent design, manufacture or installation of fire alarms could be the culprit as well.
Hotel owners and operators have a duty of care to visitors and guests to provide adequate fire protection. They are also responsible for addressing hazardous conditions that are known or reasonably should be known. This can include faulty fire alarms, fire extinguishers and failure to warn guests of these conditions.
The Comfort Suites fire ended about as well as it possibly could have, but had there been injuries or deaths due to the fire alarm failures, the inn could have opened itself up to liability.
Isaiah 11:9, “They shall not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.”