A 16-year-old Illinois girl has been arrested and charged with arson after lightning up a Hilton Hotel, according to police.
Isabella Faith Adeline Garcia, 16, visiting Ocala, Florida, from Peoria, Illinois, allegedly started the fire after fighting with her mother.
On Tuesday, July 25, at approximately 3:24 a.m., Ocala Fire Rescue’s Engines 1, 4, and 6, Rescue 4, Tower 1, Battalion Chiefs 11 and 22, and a Safety Officer were dispatched to a structure fire at the Hilton Ocala, 3600 SW 36th Ave.
Units arrived at the nine-story hotel to find audible and visual alarms, an active sprinkler system, and Ocala Police Department members assisting guests in evacuating the premises.
Upon entering the lobby, crews encountered moderate smoke.
Firefighters made their way down a first-floor hallway near the banquet rooms. As they approached, smoke conditions worsened.
Using a thermal imaging camera, crews located the seat of the fire. In conjunction with the sprinkler system, crews used a water can to smother the flames, which consumed a couch and scorched an adjacent wall.
The damage to the hotel is estimated to be a couple hundred thousand dollars. Thankfully, no one was injured,” said Ocala Police.
The fire was extinguished entirely within seven minutes of arrival.
A big shout-out to the OPD police officers who responded to the hotel fire and safely evacuated all 320 guests! Great work, Detective Ridge for investigating this arson and making an arrest. Great job, OFR, extinguishing the fire,” said OPD.
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