metro

Fire breaks out at hotel without exits

A kitchen fire at the Hotel Veracruz had guests looking for an emergency exit they never found.

Noriel Gutiérrez/LA PRENSA

Fire at hotel veracruz1063401

A minor fire yesterday morning in the kitchen at the Hotel Veracruz, just off Avenida Peru in Calidonia, provoked desperation among some guests and staff when they couldn’t find any emergency exits.

Lieutenant Juan De Arco, of the Oficina de Seguridad del Cuerpo de Bomberos de Panamá (CBP), said the fire was put out in its early stages. Hotel employees had helped to douse the fire with an extinguisher, he added.

Hotel management did not comment about the alleged lack of emergency exits.

De Arco said that the cause of the fire is still unknown, but preliminary investigations suggest that it started in one of the fryers in the hotel restaurant. Smoke issuing from the dome of the kitchen’s roof vent made the fire appear larger than it was, he said.

The CBP is currently preparing a report on essential safety equipment and features for all buildings, including emergency exits.