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Like many of you, I remember staying at the Red Jacket Mountain View Resort as a kid. I don’t recall if it was on a trip to Storyland or skiing, but the iconic hotel was part of my childhood, as I’m sure it was part of many of yours.

So, it was devastating to see a piece of North Conway history destroyed by fire last weekend.

The inferno moved so quickly, guests were forced to jump from balconies, flee the waterpark in bathing suits and evacuate their rooms when first responders went in to get them out.

The south wing of the hotel was levelled by the fire, and much of the hotel suffered smoke and water damage.

It was bad and could have been so much worse. The emergency response from towns surrounding North Conway reportedly spared the rest of the resort.

The south wing of the hotel was built in 1971 and was not required to have sprinklers. It was required to have an alarm system, which some hotel guests and the fire marshal say did activate.

The blaze at the Red Jacket is a good reminder for all of us to be as prepared for a fire at a hotel as we would be at home.

The National Fire Protection Association says:

The damage to the Red Jacket is heartbreaking.

The heroic work of first responders and the outpouring of support from the community is certainly something to take to heart.

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