At approximately 11:15 PM on Thursday, July 12, the Central Dakota Communications Center received a report of a fire alarm at the 2600 block of Centennial Road. The Bismarck Fire Department was dispatched to investigate. While in-route the fire crew was notified that the alarm was for a fire in the laundry room of a hotel.
The first arriving fire crew reported a three story building with nothing showing from the exterior and the occupants evacuated. The fire crew established command and made contact with an employee who stated that a washing machine was on fire in a laundry room. The fire crew entered the hotel to investigate and found that the washing machine fire was out. A hotel employee had used a dry chemical fire extinguisher to extinguish the fire. The fire crew conducted an overhaul operation to ensure that the fire was out, then used an electric fan to ventilate the building. Once the building was clear of smoke, command was terminated and the scene was turned over to hotel management.
Three fire department apparatus and nine firefighters were dispatched to the scene. Bismarck Police Department assisted with scene control. Metro Area Ambulance was on scene to provide medical support. The hotel was occupied at the time of the fire. There were no injuries to the building occupants or to firefighters.
Damage caused by the fire was limited to the washing machine. Damage to the property is estimated at $1000. The cause of this fire has been classified as undetermined.