About 80 people were evacuated from the historic Ben Lomond Hotel in downtown Ogden Sunday when smoke began spreading throughout the building from a vent. The actual fire was on an external stairway at an adjacent hotel. No one was injured.
About 80 people were evacuated from the historic Ben Lomond Hotel in downtown Ogden Sunday when smoke began spreading throughout the building from a vent. The actual fire was on an external stairway at an adjacent hotel. No one was injured. Adobe Stock
Amy Joi O'Donoghue
By Amy Joi O'Donoghue
Amy Joi has worked at the Deseret News for 25 years and for 14 years has devoted her coverage to the environment, agriculture and energy issues facing the West.

OGDEN — Smoke swamped the first few floors of the historic Ben Lomond Hotel in downtown Ogden on Sunday, prompting an evacuation of about 80 people and a quick response from fire crews.

The Ogden Fire Department soon learned that the actual fire was located outside the building on an exterior stairway at the adjacent Courtyard Inn. The smoke was taken up through a ventilation system connected to the basement of the hotel, which was built in 1927 and was considered at the time one the grandest hotels in the state.

Crews found a piece of burning clothing that produced the smoke in the 2:20 p.m. incident at the 11-story hotel.

View Comments

There were no injuries reported.

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.