Fire interrupts locals' wedding gala

Coralville firefighter helps save Mexican hotel

By Rob Daniel
Iowa City Press-Citizen

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CORALVILLE -- Mike Vrban was having dinner with his family and his fiancee, Melissa, when everybody heard the lightning strike the hotel in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Vrban, a volunteer firefighter with the Coralville Fire Department, got up to investigate. Then he saw what had grabbed his attention.

"The thatch roof on top of the hotel was struck by lightning and caught fire," Vrban said.

It was Friday night, Sept. 2, the night before Mike and Melissa were to be married on the beach. However, the lightning strike on the hotel interrupted their plans.

"I was in my room and I heard the lightning hit," said Brent Smith, a fellow Coralville volunteer firefighter who was in Playa del Carmen for the wedding. "(Vrban) kind of kicked into gear."

Vrban ran to someone he thought looked like he would be in charge and, after a short conversation, ran to a third floor balcony to get a hose. The hose cabinet on that floor was empty, so he was forced to run back downstairs, find another hose and haul it to the third floor.

The problems persisted, though, when he discovered there was little water pressure from the third floor hose cabinet. He threw the hose off of the balcony to a group of people who were working to extinguish the fire. They tied it to another water main, giving him the water pressure he needed to help put out the fire within 15 minutes.

"I was able to hit it from that third floor balcony," Vrban said. "It was pretty comical. There were waiters and bartenders trying to be firefighters. People with no training were trying to do the best they can."

No one was injured in the fire, and the most damage Vrban sustained was getting his dress clothes covered with water and soot. He found his way back to the restaurant, where he rejoined his family and fiancee. He had been gone for about 20 minutes.

"(Melissa) didn't realize what I was doing," Vrban said. "They didn't have a clear picture of what was going on behind the restaurant. I explained it to her and she didn't seem to have a problem."

Following a wedding ceremony on the beach of Playa del Carmen, the newlywed Vrbans stayed at the resort for two more days before moving to another resort further down the Caribbean coast of Mexico. They returned home to Coralville last week.

The experience, though, reminded Vrban that it was good to have the proper equipment to take care of emergencies.

"People around here should be pretty grateful to have a fire code," Vrban said. "Down there, nothing worked, and if it did work, it barely worked. Fortunately, we had enough to take care of the situation."

Reach Rob Daniel at 339-7360 or rdaniel@press-citizen.com.