Fire destroys Mackay hotel room on Bruce Highway

Fire has ‘totally destroyed’ a hotel room along the Bruce Highway in Mackay with one person still unaccounted for. LATEST, PHOTOS

Emergency crews were called to a fire inside a unit at the Marco Polo Hotel on Nebo Rd, Bruce Highway, Mackay on Tuesday, December 5, 2023. Picture: Heidi Petith

Fire has “totally destroyed” a hotel room along the Bruce Highway with one person still unaccounted for.

Mackay Fire Station officer Mark Ashford said when emergency crews arrived at the Marco Polo Hotel on Nebo Rd shortly after 10am, firefighters found the ground floor unit already “well involved”.

Mr Ashford praised the manager who with her “quick thinking” closed the unit door to contain the blaze and evacuated about 10 people from the premises before firefighters arrived.

Emergency crews were called to a fire inside a unit at the Marco Polo Hotel on Nebo Rd, Bruce Highway, Mackay on Tuesday, December 5, 2023. Top left: Mackay Fire Station officer Mark Ashford. Picture: Heidi Petith

“That unit is totally destroyed unfortunately,” he said.

“We have a lot of black smoke in that area and obviously that black smoke went right to the floor so everything is smoke-damaged.

“However the crews did a great job, we were able to contain the fire to the point of origin.”

Mr Ashford said firefighters were unable to find anyone inside the unit and were working with the police to determine whether they had visited the hospital.

He said investigations were continuing, including gas monitoring, and they were unable to determine when occupants could re-enter the hotel.

Mackay police had closed the two northbound lanes of the Bruce Highway to traffic while emergency crews were at the scene.