CAMBRIDGE, Md. - The Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office has determined the cause of a cottage fire at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay property was accidental.
The three-alarm fire started around 6:08 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 6, and took about an hour to control.
Firefighters say it started because of someone carelessly discarding smoking materials near a mulch bed.
Fire officials estimate $200,000 in structure damages and $20,000 in damages to the contents inside.
General Manager Joel Bunde confirmed that an isolated fire occurred early Sunday morning in a free-standing cottage next to the hotel that is used for small meetings.
In a statement posted to the Hyatt's Facebook page, Bunde wrote: "Hotel guests and colleagues were immediately evacuated, and local authorities arrived on the scene to swiftly extinguish the fire. There were no injuries and the hotel only sustained damage to the 1,400 square-feet cottage as well as a small number of vehicles parked in the parking lot behind the building."
According to Bunde, following an inspection by local authorities, guests and colleagues were cleared to return and the hotel resumed normal operation.