HURRICANE, W.Va. -- Guests were evacuated from the Holiday Inn Express hotel in Hurricane on Thursday morning after reports of a smoky odor, a volunteer firefighter said.

Cody Smoot of the Teays Valley Volunteer Fire Department said dust in the hotel's heating and cooling system is believed to have caused a "smoke-like odor."

Smoot said firefighters ventilated the hotel and shut off the heating and cooling system before guests were allowed back in. There was no sign that an actual fire had occurred, he said.

A spokeswoman for the hotel said the heating system hadn't been turned on since last year, which caused the dust that had been collected to create the smoky smell. She said even though there was no fire, employees evacuated the building and sent guests to the parking lot for about 30 minutes.