Hotel fire alarm never sounded on night of massive blaze, says Killeen woman

The Herald reached out to Hilton spokeswoman Lisa Cole about the alleged lack of communication Tuesday.

“Hilton Garden Inn Killeen is an independently owned and operated property,” Cole said. “As such, I am unable to speak on their behalf.”

The property is owned by Le Family LLC, according to the most recent record from the Bell County Appraisal District.

In 2020, according to appraisal district records, the four-story hotel was valued at $9,215,810 — a 41% increase from the building’s 2019 appraised value.

The Herald contacted the Killeen fire marshal’s office Monday and Tuesday asking for an update on the status of the investigation, the cause of the fire, if the fire alarm and sprinklers worked the night of the fire, and if the office could provide the last time the hotel’s fire sprinkler system was inspected. The Herald’s questions have yet to be answered by the fire marshal’s office as of deadline Tuesday.

Capt. Mike Eveans confirmed Tuesday that the fire marshal’s investigation into the hotel fire is ongoing, but couldn’t provide a timeline of when the investigation would be completed.

Hargreaves, who stayed at the hotel Feb. 16-19, said she has questions as to why the fire alarms didn’t sound the evening of the fire.

“I think there were warning signs all week,” Hargreaves recounted. “Each evening the fire alarm would go off, it’d only be on for one minute, and then it’d be shut off.”

Hargreaves said she noticed water dripping from the ceiling of the lobby of the hotel into buckets in the days leading up to the fire. Hargreaves was staying at the hotel on the third floor with her brother, 88-year-old mother, and 91-year-old father, after the winter storm knocked out power and a ruptured pipe flooded her home.

On the night of the fire, “we heard a loud knock on the door, but no fire alarms went off or anything. Someone was banging on the doors, so we thought there was a domestic disturbance,” she said. “My mom didn’t want to open the door; we didn’t smell any smoke or anything until we opened the door. My mom called 911 from the hotel room and that’s when they said, ‘There’s a fire in your hotel, you need to get out now.’”

The fire has been out for weeks, but Hargreaves said she still has burns on her back from where falling flaming debris landed on her as she and her family made their escape.

Two soldiers and a firefighter, she said, came to her family’s assistance as they evacuated the fully engulfed burning building.

“We didn’t realize how bad the fire was until we were outside,” she said.

Now, after having picked up what personal items could be salvaged, Hargreaves and her family are looking for answers from the owners of the Hilton Garden Inn in Killeen.

When asked if anyone from the hotel had contacted her, Hargreaves replied, “No. No one.”

A sign posted to the boarded up front door of the hotel read: “This structure is in a hazardous condition entry is prohibited.”

Jamco Construction was on site Tuesday erecting a fence to protect cars and bystanders from falling debris.

“They’re going to tear it down,” Jamco Construction worker Chaun Hill said.

The owners of the Hilton Garden Inn in Killeen could not be reached as of deadline Tuesday.