Top Story — January: Lido Beach resort fire forces evacuation

A fire at the Lido Beach Holiday Inn forced an evacuation this Jan. 19, but didn’t cause major structural damage or leave anyone injured.

Emergency personnel, including the Sarasota Police Department, responded to multiple calls regarding smoke and flames on the sixth floor of the resort after 9:35 a.m. The Sarasota County Fire Department, which had 20 units on the scene at the height of the fire, evacuated the building and extinguished the blaze in nine minutes.

The State Fire Marshall is investigating the area around unit 608 to determine the cause of the fire. Fire Department Capt. Jerry Jensen said there was "fairly significant" damage to the room in which the fire originated, and smoke damage to the adjacent two rooms and the hallway.

“The sprinkler system did a good job of dampening the fire down,” Jensen said. “Then our crews went in and finished the job.”