Fire breaks out at Holiday Inn Express in Centereach

A fire broke out at a Centereach hotel on Wednesday morning, forcing the evacuation of all of its guests.

Fire officials said there were no reported injuries.

The blaze broke out at around 6 a.m. on the fifth floor of the Holiday Inn Express Stony Brook-Long Island by IHG on Nesconset Highway, according to Suffolk County Fire Rescue.

Suffolk police said a man and woman who were guests at the Holiday Inn Express were "arguing in various locations" at the hotel. The man, whose identity was not released, was then involved in a verbal argument and physical altercation with a hotel employee. Police said all three were still in the lobby area when the fire was reported in the couple's room.

Police said Arson Squad detectives are investigating the cause of the fire.

Fire officials said the fire took about a half-hour to extinguish.

Town of Brookhaven Chief Fire Marshal Christopher Mehrman said all hotel occupants were evacuated and that by 9:40 a.m. the building had been cleared for reentry except for the fifth floor.

The hotel sustained water damage, Mehrman said.

Travel engineer Jose Rodriguez, 30, said he woke up to the sound of the fire alarm around 6 a.m. He and other guests saw smoke coming out of a room on the fifth floor. Fire doors had already been shut, forcing them to evacuate “the long way,” Rodriguez said.

“Thankfully, everything was just speedy, nothing too erratic,” he said.

Rodriguez said firefighters and police arrived quickly, and he credited the hotel employees for helping guests evacuate.

He had traveled to Long Island from Gainesville, Georgia, to install equipment for a customer, and he had planned to head back Wednesday morning.

But until he is allowed to access his belongings in his room, his trip home will have to wait.

“Everybody was safe, from what I know, so that's good,” Rodriguez said.

Newsday's John Valenti contributed to this story.

Check back for updates on this developing story.