VIDEO: Flames forced people and children to jump to safety in West Des Moines Monday night.
Fire crews spent all night putting out a large fire at Valley West Inn on Westtown Parkway. The first crews out arrived just minutes after the building went up in flames. They were able to get everybody out, but that took some time.
West Des Moines Fire officials said it started on the second floor of the south side.
Before they could get water on the fire, they had to get everybody out of the building. They say 130 rooms were occupied around the time the fire started, around 11:15 p.m.
When crews got there, they said people inside were running up to them, telling them that their family members and friends were trapped in the building. They said people were dropping children to firefighters from windows.