Exclusive: Myrtle Beach family first to see hotel fire. Dad gives evacuee shoes off his feet
Travis Parker usually gets up about 5 a.m. to get ready for work.
As he stepped outside his Myrtle Beach apartment along 10th Avenue on Ocean Boulevard Wednesday morning to smoke a cigarette, he heard the sound of glass shattering, he said by phone Wednesday.
He looked up to see a ball of black smoke coming from the window of the Captain’s Quarters Resort across the street, he said.
His wife called 911 and then watched as hundreds of visitors staying at the hotel began to evacuate.
Parker and his family saw people outside without shirts and shoes. So they began giving people water, orange juice, seats to sit in and clothing.
“It was hot out here,” said Katlynn Parker, 15. She said her mom and dad also gave two children shirts who didn’t have one.
Travis Parker even gave an older woman the shoes off his feet when he realized she wasn’t wearing any, Katlynn Parker said.
Katylnn Parker said the family decided to help because her mother and father went through a similar situation when their house caught fire when her sister, who is now 17, was 2 months old. They didn’t receive any help during that time, Parker said.
“We were trying to help them because we know how it is,” Parker said.
Myrtle Beach Fire Capt. Jon Evans said there have been many city and county agencies helping visitors, from handing out water to ensuring people stay safe.
“You can see the community coming together,” Evans said.
It appears the fire started at about 5:30 a.m. on the 6th floor of the hotel, which is where the bowling alley is located.
Myrtle Beach Fire and Horry County Fire Rescue were on the scene of the multi-alarm structure fire, Evans said. North Myrtle Beach Fire Department also responded. The fire is still not confirmed to be out, but crews are working to get the fire extinguished, Evans said.
Three Myrtle Beach firefighters have been treated for dehydration, but no other injuries were reported.
People evacuated from the hotel could be seen walking around in their pajamas, shorts and without shirts and shoes between 8th and 10th avenues. Most of them were carrying the few items they could grab before leaving their rooms.
People were also sitting in chairs on the beach waiting to hear from officials.
Mike Patterson and his family were standing on the sidewalk on 8th Avenue about 9 a.m. They were still in their pajamas. They had been outside since about 5 a.m. after the fire alarms went off outside their fourth-floor room.
Patterson said he woke to the alarm and opened the door. He smelled smoke and then got the family out.
This was the Massachusetts family’s second night in Myrtle Beach. There are 13 of them.
The family was wearing wristbands that were given to them by the hotel, Patterson said. They were waiting to be transported to another property so they could eat and get air conditioning.
Luis Barrera and his family were also waiting to hear what would happen next. The family from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, were on the 10th floor when they were alerted to the fire by the hotel, which called their room.
Barrera said he never heard an alarm and was breathing smoke in the hallway as they left.
“It’s crazy,” he said.
He said all of their clothes and items are still in their room, and he doesn’t know what they are going to do for the day.
But he said it could have been worse.
“I guess we’ll just wait,” he said.
This story was originally published August 16, 2023 at 11:42 AM.
