THORNTON - 1997

On Jan. 27, 1997, an arson fire killed five guests at the Hacienda Plaza Inn in Thornton, Colorado. Two firefighters were injured.

Photo: Denver Post blog

HACIENDA HOTEL FIRE

Thornton, Colorado

Jan. 27, 1997

Excerpt from U.S. Fire Administration Technical Report

Investigator Thomas H. Miller, P.E.

Around 2:30 a.m. one of the occupants of Room 222 telephoned the front desk to

report smoke coming through the bathroom exhaust. It is unknown if she was awake

when the smoke was discovered or if she was awake by the room’s single station smoke

detector. A short time later the occupant again called the front desk to report that she and

her bedridden mother were trapped in their room by the fire. Both room occupants

perished in the fire with the official cause of death being listed as carbon monoxide

intoxication for each victim. It was less than 20 feet from their room door to the outside

of the building.

After notifying the fire department via the 911 emergency telephone number, the

desk clerk called a hotel maintenance employee who lived in Room 224, just a short

distance away. Although the employee responded promptly, the fire conditions in the

breezeway outside Room 222 were impassable due to the flames.

The Adams County Communication Center (ADCOM) records indicate receiving

the 911 telephone call at 2:33 a.m. and a second telephone call at 2:39 a.m. North Metro

was dispatched at 2:35 a.m., sending four engines, an ambulance and a battalion chief;

units were reported enroute within two minutes. Thornton police units were enroute to

the fire even before the fire department was dispatched; their first cars were reporting

flames visible from the outside on arrival at 2:39 a.m.

Engine 67 located approximately 1.8 miles away was the first fire unit on the

scene several seconds before 2:40 a.m. The 4-person crew positioned the apparatus near

the fire hydrant at the southwest corner of the front wing and initially assisted with

evacuation of Room 211. The crew then stretched a 1 3/4 inch line to the base of the

stairway in the southwest corner.

Battalion Chief 61 requested a working fire tone at 2:40:39 a.m. and a second alarm

at 2:40:44 a.m. Unfortunately, due to the extensive radio traffic and activity at ADCOM,

the Chief’s second alarm request was not recognized. The command post was established

in the parking lot in front of the building with the Battalion Chief assuming the incident

command. When the Incident Commander requested the response status on the second

alarm units at 2:54 a.m., ADCOM advised that none had been dispatched. About 2:57 a.m.

the second alarm was recognized and dispatched. This alarm brought four more engines

and a truck to the scene.

Engine 62 was the second engine on the scene just before 2:47 a.m. accompanied by Ambulance 62. The three member engine company assisted Engine 67 with rescue and advance of the hose line. The ambulance crew established a triage area in the front parking lot and requested additional resources from its headquarters. Eventually five AMR ambulances plus supervisory personnel responded to the fire scene. The search of Rooms 201 to 210 was completed by 2:52 a.m. and this area declared “all clear” by Engine 62. Attention now focused on extinguishing the fire at the base of the stairs at the west end of the front wing.

Engine 66 arrived at the scene at 2:44:36 a.m. and the Incident Commander directed them to the west side of the property. The three member crew’s initial operation was the evacuation of the west wing at the east end. A ground ladder was used to assist the occupants of Room 301. At arrival, fire was exiting at the second and third floor levels through the breezeway glass and aluminum enclosures. These had failed completely and the second floor breezeway area was heavily involved and the third floor level was nearly the same.

Engine 63 arrived about four minutes after Engine 66 and its three member crew was assigned to assist Engine 66. It reverse laid a 5-inch supply line from 66 to the hydrant at the north end of the property. A 1-3/4" line was advanced by the combined crews as the hydrant water supply was established. About 3:08 a.m. these crews found the first victim and removed him from Room 220. The victim was unconscious, not breathing, and did not have a pulse. The fire in the second floor breezeway and passageway was still burning in several locations.

Most of the second alarm units were enroute by 3:04 a.m. or before. Three of the engines and the truck were on scene by 3:10 a.m. and the fourth engine by 3:14 a.m. Engine 68’s three member crew was assigned to the patio area at the inside corner of the junction between the front and west wings. They searched Rooms 101 to 106, 212 to 218, and the second and third floor west wings closest to the fire. Afterwards, they advanced a 2-1/2" line wyed into a 1-3/4" line to the patio area from Engine 66.

Truck 51 was positioned at the west end of the front wing and raised their ladder

to the roof. The six member crew ventilated the roof over the stairway at the west end of

the front wing and the stairway at the south end of the west wing. Assistance with this

assignment was provided by the three member crew from Engine 33. The two stairways

were ventilated about 3:30 a.m. and Command assigned the truck company to ventilate

over the utility chase in the front wing. Engine 33 was given another assignment.

While the roof venting was underway, search of the west wing third floor rooms

away from the fire continued with the assistance of the Thornton Police. Engine 63 and

66 crews were also searching Rooms 220, 221, and 222 off the still partially burning

breezeway. A second fire victim was located in Room 220 and removed to Engine 66 at

3:39 a.m. Two more victims were located at 3:53 a.m. in Room 222. All victims were

unconscious, not breathing, and did not have a pulse. The fifth victim, who was badly

burned, was not located until later. His remains were found near the breezeway’s second

floor west enclosure wall in the debris. The coroner was requested to the scene at 3:51

a.m.

Engine 65 with a four member crew arrived at the scene at 3:14 a.m. and, along

with Engine 33, were assigned to hand stretch a 2-1/2" line from Engine 67 to the east

end of the front wing. This operation started about 3:30 a.m. Reports from Engine 33 at

about 4:00 a.m. indicate an immediate need for ventilation in this area and at 4:10 a.m.

they reported that the fire in the utility chase had extended to the east end of the front

wing. They requested additional assistance at this time.

Incident Command had also been requesting additional resources. The Red Cross

was requested to help with the displaced occupants around 3:00 a.m. Buses were

requested from the regional transportation authority for both occupant protection and

later for firefighter rehabilitation. No official third alarm was ordered; rather, requests for

specific equipment were made. At 3:35 a.m., two engines were requested from

Westminster Fire Department. Shortly before 4:00 a.m., breathing air supply and spare

bottles were requested from North Washington Fire Protection District.

Chief 51 was supervising the roof sector and the ventilation being done over the

utility chase and reported that progress was being made at 3:46 a.m. Unfortunately, about

3:52 a.m. two firefighters broke part way through the roof and one injured a knee

sufficiently to be transported to the hospital for treatment. At this time all firefighters were

ordered off of the light weight roof. Fire through the roof near the southwest corner of the

front wing was reported at 3:58 a.m.

Tactical operations then changed from an offensive mode to a defensive one.

About the same time the fire conditions were deteriorating, Incident Command was

transferred to North Metro’s deputy chief of operations. Command instructed Truck 51 to

establish a ladder pipe operation at its position and two 2-1/2" lines were stretched from

Engine 67. The “B” shift was recalled to their stations at 4:13 a.m. and two engines were

requested from Southwest Adams County shortly after. 

Westminster Engine 2 did a forward 5" hose lay from the hydrant at Acoma Street

and 84th Avenue to near the southeast corner of the front wing. Westminster Engine 6 set

up their TeleSquirt on the south side of the front wing using a supply from Engine 2. Both

operations were completed and the elevated master stream operating before 4:30 a.m.

As crews became available, lines were advanced from Engine 2 to the front wing’s

second floor east end. Two 1-3/4" lines were placed near Rooms 201 and 212

respectively. Another 2-1/2" line was brought to the east end of the utility chase to back

up the one placed into operation by crews from Engines 33 and 65 .

Between 4:30 and 5:00 a.m., the main body of active fire was being contained in

the front wing by master streams and hand lines. Sufficient fire ground strength was

available that just before 5:00 a.m. Command advised sectors that crew rotation and

rehabilitation was possible. Although not officially declared, the fire was effectively

under control at this time.

The Dead:

• Tad Alfred Westcott, 24
• Erik Waite, 23
• Anthony Bunn, 28
• Vivian Garrett, 84
• Sue Garrett, 53