What happened to Red Jacket Resort in North Conway? Flames rip through hotel serving 155 guests 

The Red Jacket Resort in North Conway, New Hampshire, suffered a massive fire that engulfed the south end of the resort on Saturday, April 30. A total of 155 guests were rushed out of the resort and settled into other local hotels nearby.

Firefighters from more than 20 areas were brought in to battle the flames that devoured over 75 hotel rooms. However, no serious injuries were recorded from the accident.

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Fumes rising from the Red Jacket Resort were visible from miles away

The fire began in one of the rooms on the third floor on the south end side of the resort. The fire department was informed about the fire at 2.47 pm. By the time the fire marshals arrived at the scene, a part of the south wing was up in huge flames, emitting heavy smoke.

Guests were seen jumping from upper-level to lower-level balconies to reach the ground floor in order to evacuate the resort. Officials from the department explained that strong winds added difficulty to their task. One of the officials claimed:

"The fire was aggressive."

Videos taken from various news channels showed humongous clouds of smoke rising in the sky from the roof of the building. The smoke could be noticed from miles away. According to reports, the south wing side of the resort is old and does not have sprinklers to help extinguish small fires.

Thankfully, no serious damage was incurred from the accident. A total of three people suffered non-life threatening injuries. However, two firefighters who suffered exhaustion and a civilian who experienced shortness of breath were taken to Memorial Hospital in North Conway.

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Hotel guests and neighboring businesses were horrified

Natalie Morse, a guest at the resort, shared her experience by saying:

"The fire alarms went off, and at first we didn't really know what it was, but then we could hear sirens and a lot of commotion."

Morse's room was out of harm's way, but she had little children with her, she added:

"And we got the kids together, we grabbed a few of our personal belongings and met the housekeeper at the door, who told us a little bit about what was going on."

Another guest, Emily Chicoine, whose room was damaged by the fire, said:

"We were extremely close to losing everything, everything reeks, and a lot of stuff isn't usable anymore, but at least we have what's important to us."

She expressed sympathy for visitors who incurred higher loss of their belongings by saying:

“I feel awful for the people who really did lose everything because some people were out here in their bathing suits. I just really hope that everyone gets better soon because it's pretty tragic.”

A local from the area explained that the fire was devastating and the roaring flames looked horrifying. She exclaimed:

"I mean, it's up in flames. It's horrific. It's devastating, I just have the chills. I just feel so sad. The flames are coming out of the windows, and the roofs are caving in. It's just horrible. It's a horrible sight."

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Red Jacket officials have decided to close down the resort

The Red Jacket's managing director offered his gratitude to the entire community for helping them get through the calamity. Guests were provided accommodation by hotels and rental owners. Essentials like food, water and clothing were donated by locals and church groups. The director thanked the community by saying:

"Truly you can't imagine what it means to us and to our team here at Red Jacket, and I just want to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts."

However, officials at the resort have decided to keep the Red Jacket closed for visitors. They are currently working with the fire department to find out the cause of the fire and haven't announced any reopening date yet.