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Motel fire contained

Gregory Crofton

Paramedics treated a pregnant woman for smoke inhalation early Saturday after fire spread from burning mattresses up the back of a South Lake Tahoe motel into its attic.

The 3 a.m. blaze forced guests at Days Inn Lake Tahoe, which is located at 3530 U.S. Highway 50, to evacuate a section of the motel. The fire burned four of the motel’s 42 rooms and temporarily closed a total of 22.

Damages including content loss were estimated to be $325,000, said South Lake Tahoe Fire Division Chief Merle Bowman.



South Lake Tahoe Fire and Lake Valley Fire had 11 firefighters on hand to work the blaze. The scene was clear by 6:30 a.m.

“The potential here was great because of the common attic,” Bowman said. “It could have moved dramatically through the structure, but it was contained.”



The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Bowman said it could have been accidental because investigators found cigarette butts where the mattresses were stored.


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