Firefighters from 14 area fire protection districts and departments responded this morning (Jan. 7) to a call about a blaze at the vacant Stratford Inn hotel, 800 S. Hwy. Drive, near I-44 in Fenton, said Romona Kaminski, chief of the Fenton Fire Protection District.
She said at least 70 firefighters were called to the scene because of the cold temperatures and because a lot of people were needed to search the hotel.
“If you think about how cold it was this morning, that alone was a big challenge,” Kaminski said.
The temperature was in the single digits, according to weather reports.
Kaminski said a salt truck was on the scene to keep water from freezing, and a warming bus was set up for firefighters.
She said no one was found inside the old hotel during the search.
The fire was in the hotel’s main building on the south side of the second floor, Kaminski said.
She said the cause of the fire is unknown, and the St. Louis County Bomb and Arson unit is investigating the fire.
Crews were dispatched to the hotel at 6:09 a.m. after someone who was driving by saw smoke and called 911. The first truck was on the scene in at 6:15 a.m., the fire was under control by 8:10 a.m. and crews left the scene around 10 a.m., Kaminski said.
According to several local news outlets, the hotel closed late in 2018 after several health, safety and occupancy violations.
Other fire districts and departments that helped with the fire included High Ridge, Saline Valley, Eureka, Valley Park, Mehlville, West County, Kirkwood, Crestwood, Webster Groves, Metro West, Affton, Monarch and Creve Coeur. The North Jefferson County Ambulance District also responded to the scene.