SAN ANTONIO -- One person died and dozens were displaced after a hotel fire Monday near downtown, fire officials said.

It was initially thought that everyone who was in the Travelers Hotel in the 200 block of Broadway was OK when fire broke out around 11:45 a.m., but residents sprang into action in an attempt to free one man from his room.

"We couldn't get the door open, even after we got the key, we still had to kick the door open,” Greg Stephens said. “Once we kicked it in, fire and smoke, mainly black smoke just bellowed out."

Stephens, along with other residents, attempted to fight the fire themselves, but were overcome by smoke and forced to retreat.

The victim, likely the resident of Room 514, was well-known around the area, said one resident.

San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood told reporters at an afternoon news conference that one person died. Hood didn't say whether it was a man or a woman, but residents told KSAT 12 News that it was a man who was a heavy smoker.

About 50 other people evacuated the building when fire alarms went off.

Some residents complained about the response time of firefighters, but there are a large number of resources in the area, Hood said.

He said he wasn’t sure if there was any delay in the department’s response time.

Firefighters did have trouble getting water on the fire because some hydrants in the building were not working properly, Hood said.

The fire was extinguished around 12:30 p.m.

Some residents at the hotel are disabled and the Red Cross is assisting many of those displaced by the fire. The organization handed out food, blankets and set up a temporary shelter at Page Middle School.

About 20 people are using the shelter at the school, according to the Red Cross, who said they helped about 75 residents at the scene of the fire in various forms.

The shelter will be available Monday evening and Tuesday evening, if necessary, according to the charity.

Management told residents they would like to re-open parts of the hotel by Thursday, said some residents.