Palm Springs hotel fire caused by unattended food on hot plate

On Friday around 6 p.m., a structure fire broke out at the Royal Sun Inn at 1700 S Palm Canyon Drive. Emergency crews immediately responded, but after the flames were doused, the source of the fire was initially unclear. Tuesday, that spark has been nailed down.

According to Deputy Fire Chief Ron Beverly, of the Palm Springs Fire Department, the blaze was caused by food that was left unattended on a hot plate. Beverly says the hotel occupants left the room with the food still on the plate, causing the initial fire, which then spread to nearby papers. Within minutes, flames had engulfed the entire room.

The unit where the fire started was completely destroyed by the fire. Four total rooms, two on the first floor and two on the third floor, sustained water and smoke damage. No injuries were reported at the scene. The Roadway Inn has remained open throughout the investigation and all occupants initially displaced by the blaze were relocated to new rooms.

Beverly noted that the hotel staff and occupants acted responsibly and followed proper protocol throughout the ordeal, but emphasized the importance of not operating cooking appliances outside of designated cooking areas.

No charges will be filed against the hotel guests who left the hot plate unattended.