STROUDSBURG, Pa. (AP) -- An early morning fire at a Poconos resort destroyed 20 rooms and damaged more than two dozen others, authorities said.
No injuries were reported in the blaze at the Paradise Stream Caesars Pocono Resort, which broke out around 1:45 a.m. Thursday. Officials believe the cause of the fire is electrical, but a final determination had not been made. Damage estimates could run as high as $5 million, officials said.
Doug Wilkins, managing director for the area's Starwood Hotels, said that of the 52 rooms in the building, 40 were occupied.
A couple staying in a room at one end of the building heard a popping sound just before 2 a.m. They called the front desk and resort employees began banging on doors to get everyone out.
Jack and Sandy Martin, of Baltimore, Md., who had been spending the week celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary, were lucky enough to get most of their belongings out in time.
``We had to pack everything in the dark because the power was out,'' Sandy Martin told the Pocono Record. ``It was an exciting night, but one I'd rather not relive.''
Resort officials said they transferred 21 couples to the company's resorts in Scotrun and Mashalls Creek. Starwood owns four Caesars Resorts in the Poconos and 700 resorts throughout the country.
