Fire at vacant downtown hotel ruled arson; 1 hospitalized

By Las Vegas Sun Staff (contact)

Monday, Jan. 11, 2010 | 11:33 p.m.

A two-alarm fire that damaged a vacant downtown Las Vegas hotel and sent a homeless man to the hospital Monday night was ruled an arson.

Las Vegas Fire & Rescue responded at 7:40 p.m. to the fire at the El Cid Hotel, 232 South 7th St. The building was constructed in 1979, but has been vacant and boarded up, authorities said.

Firefighters received reports that smoke and flames were coming from a downstairs unit and found thick smoke throughout the first floor of the 24-unit building. A man found on the floor was quickly rescued by firefighters, said Tim Szymanski, spokesman for Las Vegas Fire & Rescue.

The homeless man, who was taken to University Medical Center for minor smoke inhalation, told firefighters there could be 20 to 30 other people in the building. A second alarm was dispatched to help firefighters search for the additional people, but no one else was found. The man told firefighters that homeless people had been staying in the building.

Security bars on the first-floor windows were removed during the search.

The fire was under control in about 10 minutes, Szymanski said. He said investigators found evidence the fire was intentionally set.

Arson investigators are trying to determine how the blaze was started. The fire caused about $35,000 in damage, firefighters said.

One room on the first floor was gutted, while much of the first floor sustained smoke damage. The second floor sustained minor smoke damage, Szymanski said.