Fire forces evacuation of Red Lion hotel

A laundry-room fire early this morning forced the evacuation of most of the guests at a Red Lion hotel in Spokane. Firefighters responded to a fire alarm at the Red Lion Hotel at the Park, 303 W. North River Drive, at about 2:30 a.m., according to a Spokane Fire Department news release. When crews arrived, firefighters initially smelled smoke but could not see a blaze. After finding a fire in the laundry room on the hotel’s lower level, firefighters and the hotel’s sprinkler system speedily extinguished the fire, according to the release. Thirty-one firefighters responded. The blaze caused an estimated $2,500 in damages. No injuries were reported.