Fire erupts at Colorado resort hotel

Fire broke out at the Marriott's Vail Mountain Resort hotel in Vail, Colorado, on Saturday

VAIL, Colorado (AP) -- A major fire broke out Saturday night at a 350-room hotel at the base of Vail Mountain, forcing the evacuation of guests in this ski resort community.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Guests at Marriott's Vail Mountain Resort hotel were immediately evacuated but it wasn't immediately known how many were staying at the hotel, said Vail emergency dispatcher John Moran.

Witnesses said flames ravaged the upper floors of the south wing of the six-floor hotel. At least four rooms were gutted and the roof was extensively damaged.

Flames and billowing smoke were visible from a distance.

An alarm at hotel sounded at about 8:45 p.m., Moran said. Firefighters from five agencies were on the scene late Saturday trying to control the fire

No other structures were believed to be threatened.

Firefighters extinguished flaming debris as it fell from the upper stories to the ground, witnesses said.

The hotel sits at the base of Vail Mountain about 300 yards from the Lionshead ski gondola. Opening day of the ski season at Vail was Wednesday.

Copyright 2000 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

See related sites about US

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.