A small fire caused by a lit cigarette being thrown into a trashcan led to a brief evacuation of the Diamond Mountain Hotel and Casino Saturday night as firefighters searched for the cause of the alarm on the second floor of the hotel on Skyline Drive in Susanville.
According to details provided by the Susanville Fire Department the first engine company to arrive on-scene, shortly after 1:30a.m., reported smoke visible with no visible fire.
“The engine crew contacted law enforcement and hotel security at scene who stated that all occupants were evacuated and that the room involed was located in the northwest corner of the second floor,” explains SFD Engineer Leon Myers.
The engine crew made access to the second floor and utilized a Thermal Imaging Camera to search for fire in the area, but no substantial heat signatures were found. Fire crews also searched the floors above and below the floor and reported no problems.
“The occupant of the room was contacted by security and, once a translator was available, the occupant stated that a cigarette was discarded in one of the trash cans in the room and it had caught on fire.”
According to Myers the trashcan was located and confirmed to be extinguished. The fire crew then worked to remove the existing smoke from the building to allow for repopulation of the hotel.
The fire department was assisted by the Susanville Police Department, the Lassen County Sheriff’s Office and Cal-Fire.
“We would also like to thank the Diamond Mountain Casino staff for their quick work in evacuating the occupants of the hotel and ensuring their safety,” said Myers.
