Early morning fire at Boston hotel had guests evacuated; no injuries reported

By Christopher J. Girard, Globe Correspondent

A small fire in Boston's InterContinental Hotel this morning prompted evacuation so firefighters could turn off the building's power without endangering anyone, Boston Fire Department spokesman Steve MacDonald said.

The fire, which started in a basement electrical room about 2 a.m., was still burning as of 8:50 a.m. and resulted in some "smoldering" wires and boards, MacDonald said. No injuries were reported.

Guests were allowed back in the building, at 510 Atlantic Ave., about 9 a.m., a hotel customer service agent said.

MacDonald said firefighters decided the only way to fight this fire was to shut power off, and that the hotel did not want guests in the building while power was out. Guests were evacuated to nearby hotels, MacDonald said.

In addition to 424 hotel rooms, the building has 130 condominiums, MacDonald said.