Fire heavily damaged the Magnuson Hotel Adobe along Route 66 in Holbrook, Arizona, and likely is a total loss.
It was the city’s second hotel fire in a week.
The hotel at 615 W. Hopi Ave. (aka Route 66) caught fire Sunday morning after a nearby trailer reportedly went ablaze.
Seven fire departments fought the fire, which was brought under control mid-afternoon Sunday.
Diedre Burton shot this video from the scene:
Another video by Roy Bennett Jr.;
According to The Tribune-News, the fire began about 7:30 a.m. The newspaper said:
This is the second hotel fire in one week for the city, with the first suspected as arson. There were a number of guests staying at the hotel but all were able to flee from their rooms without incident. The fire remains under investigation.
The newspaper was referring to a Knights Inn motel fire at 602 Navajo Blvd. (aka Route 66), which burned May 13.
The Magnuson fire sat close to the Butterfield Stage Co. Steak House. It remains unknown whether the fire damaged the restaurant. Phone calls to Butterfield went unanswered Sunday afternoon.
UPDATE 5/22/2018: The Tribune-News reports in an updated story the hotel was built in 1963 and renovated in 2012.
Eye witnesses to the fire stated that it began in an abandoned trailer behind the hotel but quickly spread to a tree then an electric pole. When the transformers at the top of the pole blew up the fire spread onto the hotel roof. […]
“Arson investigators and the ATF (Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms) will be here to investigate the fire to determine the cause of the fire,” stated Rose.
The newspaper also shared this message on its Facebook page:
The Holbrook Police Department is seeking information on the identity of individuals who were reportedly seen leaving the area shortly after a fire broke out in the 600 Block of West Joy Nevin Avenue that spread to the Magnuson Hotel located at 615 West Hopi Drive on Sunday, May 20, 2018.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Holbrook Police Department at 928-524-4050.
(Screen-capture image from video of the Magnuson Hotel Adobe fire)