‘I had to get out’: Massive blaze at Fairfield Inn & Suites forces guests to find a new place to stay

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Lincoln Fire & Rescue officers worked on both the ground and in the air on Monday night to put out the flames at a hotel.

The flames quickly spread through the Fairfield Inn & Suites near 27th and Superior streets around 7 p.m.

SEE MORE: Witnesses describe “explosion” as north Lincoln hotel is engulfed in flames

Dozens of spectators watched from the sidelines. Many had been staying in the hotel, but they evacuated when they heard the fire alarms.

Several onlookers told Channel 8 they only had one focus: to get to safety.

Ryan Viets is from Minnesota. He is staying in Lincoln until Wednesday for work.

He recounts what it was like when the hotel alarm first went off.

“I knew I had to get out when I saw the smoke,” he said. “We couldn’t even get down the west side stairwell.”

He said all of his belongings were left in his hotel room. Once he made it outside, it was even more chaos.

“Part of the roof collapsed onto a car right in front of me, and then the fire trucks started to show up,” he said.

Viets said he’s never seen anything like this. He immediately called his family to assure them he was safe.

More than anything, he is grateful that he and everyone else managed to escape uninjured.

He also thanked first responders for how quickly they tamed the flames.

Viets and other guests are now finding alternate places to stay for the night.

The hotel and all of its contents are a total loss, according to LFR.