Fire at Tacoma hotel severely damages stairwell

A fire Tuesday at the Red Lion Hotel in Tacoma severely damaged a stairwell and forced guests out of 30 rooms, according to the Tacoma Fire Department.

Firefighters were called about 7:30 a.m. to the hotel at 8402 S. Hosmer St. and found flames coming from a stairwell that is sectioned off from the guest rooms.

Flames spread into the interior stairwell on all three floors, and smoke seeped into the hallways, department spokesman Joe Meinecke said.

The blaze was upgraded to a second-alarm so more crews could be made available to help guests safely get out of the building.

It took just over an hour to get the fire under control.

No one was hurt. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

This story was originally published July 21, 2015 at 10:03 AM with the headline "Fire at Tacoma hotel severely damages stairwell."