Fire Chief: Budget Inn Damage 'Will Be Substantial'

While he wasn't immediately certain exactly how much would cost in damages, Westwood Fire Chief William Scoble had no doubt it wouldn't be a small figure.

"It's a commercial building, so it's fairly expensive," Scoble said Thursday afternoon. "The windows were blown out, the damaged interior, it'll be substantial."

No injuries were reported as a result of the fire, which began when a vehicle behind the Budget Inn became engulfed in flames shortly after noontime Thursday. The fire then extended to the rear side of the building, leaving "three rooms with substantial damage," as well as "many others" damaged with smoke, Scoble said.

A number of tenants were temporarily displaced and two individuals were briefly trapped on a second-floor balcony in the rear of the building, as the only rear exit at the Inn was blocked by the fire.

"They had the rooms between them and they were on the far side of the balcony," Scoble said. "We got there just in time."

A ladder was also placed on the roof from the end of the building adjacent the , pulling another tenant away from the fire.

A spokesperson at the could not be reached for comment on Thursday.