Fire breaks out at Polaris Hotel under construction outside USAFA
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO)-- The Colorado Springs Fire Department (CSFD) and Air Force Academy Fire Services responded to a working structure fire at the soon-to-be Polaris Hotel, in the TrueNorth Commons development right outside the North Gate entrance to the Air Force Academy.
The alert came in around 6:10 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 18.; more than 70 firefighters and 14 fire vehicles were at the scene.
Air Force Academy crews responded to the fire with the CSFD’s crews saying they had water on the fire and were performing an overhaul around 6:41 a.m.
"We arrived to find active flames and heavy smoke on the fourth floor," said Capt. JJ Halsey. "We had it out in 22 minutes."
The CSFD stated that anyone in the area should be cautious of emergency crews responding.
#ColoradoSpringsFire is on scene of a #workingstructurefire at 8989 Northgate - USAFA Hotel and Convention Center that is under construction.
— CSFD PIO (@CSFDPIO) September 18, 2023
Air Force Academy crews responding with CSFD crews.
Be cautious of emergency crews responding. #csfd
At around 6:53 a.m., the CSFD reported the fire was under control.
The fire's cause is unknown as the CSFD begins its investigation.
Inbound traffic to the Academy's north gate was temporarily detoured but resumed at 8 a.m.; outbound traffic also was affected by fire vehicles but was more impacted by repaving of the outbound lanes and by construction of a walkway between the hotel and the adjacent new Visitors Center, which is also being built.
An Academy spokesman said that the hotel is scheduled for completion next fall.
