Mar 17, 2008 9:30 pm US/Eastern
Local Students Escape Hotel Fire In Mexico
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
A group of local college students vacationing in Acapulco for spring break
narrowly escaped a hotel fire at the Best Western Playa Suites.
CBS 3's Elizabeth Hur was at Philadelphia International to
talk to some of the students as they returned home.
The parents of the students waited anxiously at the
airport terminal for their children to return home safely.
When the students finally arrived they were met with
embrace and applause.
"It was just unbelievable. We are all lucky. We went up to
get our luggage later on and the smell was just horrible," said Penn State
student Joseph Mitzak.
"We didn't know what to do. We ran to the balcony to get
air, grabbed our stuff and ran downstairs," said Penn State
student Stephanie Gironda.
Authorities said the fire remains under investigation and
nobody was seriously injured.
"I couldn't see anything. It was pitch black. My lungs
still hurt, I am going to the doctor right now," said Brittany Porcek of Penn State.
Many parents booked the trips through studentcity.com, and
now they are determined to get answers.
"We're going to do everything we need to do to see this
through because it could have been a totally different story, said mother
Janice Porcek.
A spokesman for studentcity.com said the organization's priority
is the safety of the students. He said they are currently investigating
allegations of non-working fire-alarms at the hotel.
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