Overview

• NOFD received the first report at 11:02 a.m. and declared the blaze under control at 11:44 a.m.
• No deaths or injuries were reported by the fire department.
• Firefighters evacuated the hotel, assisting a person in a wheelchair from the fourth floor and removing two people from a second-floor balcony.
• Guests described receiving automated alerts and a public-address message instructing a calm evacuation and stating it was not a drill.
• One guest told WDSU he and his wife were rescued from a balcony because smoke near their door blocked their exit.