Fire breaks out at Best Western Hotel

MOBILE, Alabama (WALA) - The Best Western Hotel on Battleship Parkway caught fire early Tuesday morning. Flames could be seen shooting from the roof of the two story building.

Firefighters responded shortly before 4 a.m. Tuesday.

John David Mercer, a photographer with the Press-Register, was returning home on the Bayway after shooting photos of the lunar eclipse, and saw flames shooting approximately twenty feet in the air from the motel.

Mercer got off the Bayway onto the causeway and returned to the hotel and ran into the front lobby and told the on duty manager there was fire coming from the roof to call 911.

Mercer then ran to the building, pulled the electronic alarm and began going door to door waking the hotel guests and notifying them of the fire. Everyone was evacuated without incident or injury.

The fire ripped through the roof, and that's where firefighters concentrated their water pumps.

Some of the residents are being let back into their rooms to gather thier belongings.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation at this time. All the fire damage appears to be in the attic and roof area. No rooms suffered fire damage but did receive water damage from firefighting activities. There is no damage estimate at this time. No injuries were reported.

Twelve units, including the fireboat, responded to the call.