A minor fire overnight at the Holiday Inn forced the evacuation of its occupants for about an hour-or-so.

Platoon Chief Dean Foley, with the St. John’s Regional Fire Department, said that at about 2:10 a.m. fire crews were alerted to a possible fire at the hotel on Portugal Cove Road. When firefighters arrived they found smoke on the third floor.

A sprinkler head had been activated, extinguishing a small fire in some construction material in a third-floor hallway. A portion of that floor, along with the floors below it, sustained some water damage as a result, and water and power had to be shut off in those areas.

Occupants in 158 guest rooms, including at least one sports team from the NL English School District, were evacuated as crews dealt with the situation. There were no occupied rooms in the area of the fire, as the third and fourth floors of the hotel are under construction.

There were no injuries reported. An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.

Pictures by Earl Noble