A 55-year-old American man and a Canadian old couple were killed in a fire in a luxury Rome hotel early on Saturday.

The victims, whose names have not been released, were guests at the 5-star Hotel Parco dei Principi in Rome, where a fire started just after 5:00 am Saturday morning.

According to an initial reconstruction of events, the American man died when he tried to escape his 5th-floor room.

The two Canadians were reportedly found by fire-fighters dead in their beds, presumably having been overcome by smoke as they slept.

Five other guests were being treated for smoke intoxication.

All the other 200 people in the hotel at the time managed to escape and have been transferred to other hotels.

The anti-fire systems and smoke alarms in the hotel, which recently hosted US Vice President Dick Cheney, all worked properly, authorities said.

The flames were doused quickly by a dozen of teams of fire-fighters but officials said the third floor of the hotel incurred serious damage.
 
(Xinhua News Agency May 2, 2004)