One woman taken to hospital following Latham hotel fire

PHOTOGRAPHER: Peter R. Barber

Flames pour over the heads of firefighters at a 3 alarm fire at the Travlodge Inn & Suites at 831 New Loudon Road in Latham late Saturday, October 1, 2016.

One woman was taken to the hospital and occupants are being relocated after the Travelodge Inn in Latham went up in flames Saturday night.

Local police and fire departments responded to a call just after 10:30 p.m. on Saturday when the building was engulfed in smoke and flames. Law enforcement and hotel guests helped evacuate the 25 occupied rooms of the hotel, Colonie police said. A portion of the hotel, which caters to long-term occupants as well as nightly guests, was completely charred on Sunday morning.

One woman was taken to Albany Medical Center after suffering burns and smoke inhalation. Her condition is unknown, police said.

Bala Geddam, the hotel’s manager, said the backside of the building was mainly affected. The fire is believed to have originated in room 120, though Geddam said he’s unsure how it started. He just took over managing the property on Aug. 19, he said.

The Travelodge Inn is located at 831 Loudon Road, just north of the Latham Traffic Circle and next to a LaQuinta Inn and Suites. It features a total of 45 rooms, Geddam said, so it was roughly half full at the time of the fire.

The Red Cross was on the scene in the aftermath of the fire and has provided financial assistance to guests who need temporary shelter, according to a press release.

Debris was strewn across the parking lot on Sunday morning. Shards of glass, plastic bottles, remnants of roofing, soap dispensers and more were scattered across the pavement in the aftermath of the fire.

Around the back of the building, a few rooms were completely destroyed, with portions of the ceiling coming down and windows shattered. In room 120, where the fire reportedly started, everything was completely charred or destroyed.

Sections of the building’s exterior remained largely intact Sunday morning, having absorbed little or no damage from the fire. It’s unclear what the next step for repairing the hotel will be, though assessors and insurance representatives were at the site at various times on Sunday.

One woman drove through the parking lot of the property on Sunday morning to survey the damage. She has a friend who lives in nearby apartments who told her about the fire, she said.

“Such a shame,” she said as she looked at what was left of the hotel’s backside. “It’s too bad.”

Reach Gazette reporter Brett Samuels at 395-3113, [email protected] or @Brett_Samuels27 on Twitter.