TUNKHANNOCK -- If you drive past the Prince Hotel in Tunkhannock, you'd never know there was a fire inside on Thursday.
Firefighters said a small fire started in the basement of the hotel and it was caused by a space heater.
Even though there is only minimal damage to the newly renovated hotel, it's closed.
"It's very beautiful on the inside. So thank God it didn't do any more damage then just a little bit of damage in the basement," said Normal Ball, the Mayor of Tunkhannock.
Joyce Spencer and her friends traveled from Nicholson to eat lunch and reserve space for a party.
She had no idea why the hotel was closed.
"I feel sorry for them and I'm surprised because when I look inside I see nothing going on and we were looking forward to having a banquet here," said Spencer.
People in Tunkhannock said this hotel is usually open, but when you walk inside the doors won't open and there's no sign explaining why they're closed.
"We wanted to see what it was like and we wanted to eat here today," said Spencer.
The fire chief said at least 10 people were in the hotel when the fire broke out.
Guests were transferred to the owner's other hotel, Maplehurst, which is a few miles away.
The fire chief also said the Prince Hotel is closed because the building needs a new fire alarm system.
The Mayor of Tunkhannock hopes it gets fixed soon, he said, "There's a lot that has happened and now everyone is on the bandwagon and updating everything."
The mayor also hopes the hotel re-opens quickly, since it's currently on the market.
"They did spend an awful lot of money on it, but it was advertised in the paper for sale," said Ball.
It is not clear when the hotel in Wyoming County will re-open.