Burkina Faso hotel attacked by al-Qaida catches fire

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) – Witnesses say the upscale hotel in Burkina Faso’s capital that has been attacked by  al-Qaida militants has now caught fire. The blaze began after commandos trying to free an unknown number of hostages used explosives to enter the building.

Security forces stormed the building more than five hours after it was attacked by jihadists. A fire then broke out in the hall of the Splendid Hotel, and the flames then began spreading inside and out.

Several cars outside the hotel also were engulfed in flames after the attackers set them on fire when they launched their assault.

It was not immediately known how many people may have been killed during the siege, though a survivor told hospital director Robert Sangare he estimated the toll could be as high as 20.

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