Fire breaks out at Colo. resort hotel

Sunday, November 19th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

VAIL, Colo. (AP) _ A major fire that burned more than four hours was nearly contained early Sunday after forcing the evacuation of scores of guests at a 350-room ski resort hotel, authorities said.

A firefighter was treated for smoke inhalation, but no other injuries were reported.

An alarm at Marriott's Vail Mountain Resort hotel notified authorities of a fire about 8:45 p.m., said Suzanne Silverthorn, a spokeswoman for the city.

Authorities immediately evacuated 83 guests from the burning building and 33 from a neighboring building as a precaution, she said. The hotel is composed of three separate structures.

By 1:30 a.m. Sunday, authorities were preparing to declare the fire contained.

Silverthorn said all of the hotel's guests and personnel had been accounted for. The hotel was about 50 percent full, and all of the guests were being relocated to rooms in other buildings or lodges.

Nearly 60 firefighters from five agencies were on the scene early Sunday, Silverthorn said. Authorities had requested help from five other regional agencies from as far away as Glenwood Springs, 50 miles to the west.

The fire burned the fifth and sixth floors of the hotel's southernmost building. Witnesses said flames ravaged the upper floors, gutting at least four rooms and extensively damaging the roof.

``It was an exterior fire burning on sidings and balconies,'' Silverthorn said.

Flames and billowing smoke were visible from a distance.

Some balconies came crashing to the ground in flames, landing in snow, Silverthorn said.

John Morgan, who was staying in another part of the hotel, said he was in the ballroom when he first realized what was happening.

``Fire alarms went on and off four to five times,'' said Morgan, a Denver resident in Vail for the weekend.

Investigators did not immediately know what caused the blaze.

The hotel, one of Vail's largest, sits at the base of Vail Mountain. The ski season there opened Wednesday.