The Associated Press
ANAHEIM, Calif. — A 35-foot Christmas tree caught fire early Wednesday in the lobby of the Disneyland Grand Californian Hotel, forcing the evacuation of more than 2,000 guests, officials said.
No one was injured except for a guest who complained of a strained back and another with symptoms of stress, officials said.
The sprinkler system kept the 3 a.m. blaze in the artificial tree in check, and firefighters were able to quickly put it out, said Maria Sabol, a spokeswoman for the Anaheim Fire Department.
She called the fire “electrical in nature,” saying it started after employees changed some lightbulbs on the tree and turned the lights back on.
The 745-room hotel in the center of the Disneyland Resort was at full capacity with about 2,300 guests, said Rob Doughty, the resort’s vice president of communications. They were evacuated but were back in their rooms by 7 a.m., Sabol said.
Lee Crice, a guest from Phoenix, told KTLA-TV he was awakened by an alarm and saw the top of the tree was ablaze as he fled through the lobby.