Fire breaks out in top Ahmedabad hotel

A fire broke out in a premier hotel here this morning but no casualties were reported, a Fire Department official said.

The blaze started following a short-circuit in the motor of kitchen duct on the first floor of Courtyard Marriott Hotel located on Satellite Road, the official said. Four fire tenders were rushed to the spot after receiving information from hotel authorities and eyewitnesses.

"The fire was brought under control within two hours. There are no casualties. The estimated losses amount to Rs 4-5 lakh," Additional Chief Fire Officer Rajesh Bhatt said. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC)'s Health Department had issued a notice to Courtyard Marriott over its poor disposal of food waste which would get accumulated in the kitchen duct, he said.

The oily stuff in the waste obstructed the smooth flow of hot air. As a result, the duct's motor was heavily loaded and this subsequently resulted in an electric short-circuit, causing the fire today, Bhatt explained. This was not the first fire incident at the luxury hotel. On March 31, 2011, a blaze had broken out in the steam bath unit of the hotel.