PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- A fire in a Philadelphia hotel room killed one man and sent several hundred guests into the street, authorities said.
The fire, reported at 10:18 a.m. Saturday at the Omni Hotel just off Independence Mall, was under control in less than 20 minutes, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
One man was found dead in the eighth-floor room where the blaze started. His identity has not been announced pending notification of family, authorities said.
The fire was reportedly confined to a corner of the room and triggered a smoke alarm but was too small to set off the sprinkler system, hotel General Manager A.J. Williams said.
"It was a very small area of fire isolated to a very small spot," Williams said.
All the hotel's rooms are non-smoking rooms, he said.
Guests who evacuated the hotel were allowed back in at about 11 a.m., and there was praise for the hotel's evacuation process.
"It was very organized. No panic," said Debi Bellino, who was staying at the hotel after attending a Friday wedding.
