ESCANABA, MI— A historic Escanaba hotel seems to be a total loss, following a fire on Friday.
The Escanaba Department of Public Safety was called to the House of Ludington around 10:30 a.m. after staff smelled smoke in the bar area.
Firefighters used a thermal imager to find the source of the smell. Outside, officers noticed a small amount of white smoke coming from a roof dormer directly above the main entrance. At the same time, personnel on the third floor discovered a storage room filling with smoke.
Everyone in the hotel and restaurant were quickly evacuated.
Officers tried to establish the source of the fire by removing material from the ceiling and found flames. The fire then flashed over, throwing two Public Safety officers down a flight of stairs. They were uninjured and able to exit the building.
Flames quickly spread to the west side of the building. It took crews a few hours to bring the fire under control. Public Safety remained at the scene until about 4:30 p.m.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The 200 block of Ludington Street and the south alleyway that runs behind it remain closed until further notice.
Assisting in the incident were the Ford River Township, Escanaba Township, Bark River Township, Cornell Township, and Tri Township fire departments, DTE, Escanaba City Electric, the Red Cross, Delta County Central Dispatch, Escanaba Public Works, the Escanaba Water Department, the Michigan State Police Drone Unit, and the Delta County Emergency Manager.
Public Safety also thanks the staff at the Delta County Courthouse for opening the building as a warming shelter.
