Downtown
Fire at Quirk causes Sunday disruption
No injuries were reported and the hotel was back in full operation later the same day.
Around noon on Sunday guests of Quirk Hotel were forced to evacuate as the fire alarm began blaring. Fire fighters were called out for smoke at the top of the building. The fire was declared a two-alarm fire but that was due to the size of the building not the intensity of the flames.
Richmond fire officials believe a discarded cigarette was the cause of a small fire that left at least $20,000 in damage Sunday at the Quirk Hotel and temporarily shut down the downtown establishment’s rooftop bar.
Deputy Fire Marshal Earl Dyer said Sunday evening that the blaze — which broke out about 11:45 a.m. and was marked under control an hour later — began in a seventh-floor penthouse level that’s currently under renovation. No guests were staying on the floor, and no injuries were reported.
“From the report that I’ve gotten, some of the smoke was visible from the roof,” Dyer said. “There was very little flame, but there was a fair amount of smoke upstairs.”
The hotel, downstairs restaurant, and rooftop bar were all able to re-open Sunday afternoon/evening.
