According to a report from WHO13, the Valley West Inn in West Des Moines, Iowa, was destroyed in a fire late Monday night, displacing residents and hospitalizing two.
Fire Marshall Mike Whitsell said the West Des Moines Fire Department (WDMFD) received the call at around 11:15 p.m. On arrival, they witnessed smoke and flames coming from the interior.
Whitsell also said that WDMFD members found residents climbing out of windows, with some of them then handing children out of the windows, including infants and young kids, to the firefighters. Other people were reporting that some residents were trapped.
At the time of the fire, 132 rooms in the hotel were occupied.
Additional crews from Johnston, Urbandale, Clive, and Windsor Heights assisted in the removal of residents safely and also helped control the flames.
The WDMFD is now investigating the cause of the fire.
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