A fire broke out at the Coldwater Hotel early Friday morning, resulting in damage to a guest room and the dance floor.

The fire started at about 2 a.m. in Room Nine on the second floor of the hotel.

Jim Cooley, one of the Coldwater Hotel's managers, said Friday afternoon, “The fire started in the bed.”

Cooley said that although guests had rented the room last night, they were not inside when the fire started.

The fire set off the hotel's sprinkler system, flooding Room Nine and the hotel pub directly below. “Our sprinkler system went off and it just drenched the dance floor,” said Cooley.

When the sprinklers went off, the busy pub was about to close.

“The bar was really busy and they just turned the lights on.

“There were still lots of people in here.”

The Merritt Fire Rescue Department and RCMP quickly responded to the alarm.

“They were instant. Both (the firefighters) and the RCMP arrived really fast.”

Cooley said that “pretty well everything” in Room 9 was destroyed, but the other second-storey rooms and hallway were left unscathed save for a wet carpet.

Most of the damage in the hotel is due to water from the sprinklers, according to Cooley.

“The dance floor has to be replaced, (and) a big chunk of the carpet will have to be replaced.”

As of Friday afternoon, an occasional drop of murky water could still be seen dripping from the pub ceiling into buckets on the dance floor below.

Cooley said he is unsure what the total cost of repairs will be but a disaster-cleanup specialist will assess the damage Saturday.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. RCMP and the fire department are investigating.