A woman has been arrested and is undergoing a mental evaluation in Southern California after calling the 911 emergency hotline to report she was going to set her hotel room on fire, then setting it on fire…
Woman Sets Fire To Hotel Room, Calls 911 To Report It
The incident occurred on Sunday morning at the Crowne Plaza Costa Mesa in Orange County, California. The unidentified woman called 911 and told the operator that she was going to harm herself and set her hotel room on fire.
The police department rushed to the scene and found her inside her burning fourth floor hotel room. She used unidentified “combustible materials” to allegedly set her room on fire. Police found “thick smoke and flames inside the room.” The fire department was dispatched and extinguished the fire in 14 minutes.
Police have arrested the woman for suspected arson and she will undergo a mental evaluation. According to NBC Los Angeles, a police spokesperson noted:
“Officers arrived at the door to the hotel room the woman called from and could hear the smoke alarm sounding inside the room. The woman had barricaded the front door prior to police arrival.”
CONCLUSION
You have to wonder how often those fire sprinklers in hotel rooms are checked. It’s not like they can actually be tested. If they were present, it seems they did not do a very effective job at extinguishing the fire.
As for this lady, clearly there are mental health issues at play and I hope she gets the help that she needs to never contemplate taking her life again. If you are experiencing any suicidal thoughts, please reach out to friends or loved ones or call the National Suicide Prevention Line at 800-273-8255.
Have you ever experienced a hotel room fire?
(H/T: View From The Wing)
Is it usual to call 911 in advance of a suicide attempt? In any case the poor dear got the help she needs, although it would have been nicer not to put others at risk in the process…
“You have to wonder how often those fire sprinklers in hotel rooms are checked. It’s not like they can actually be tested. If they were present, it seems they did not do a very effective job at extinguishing the fire.”
Automatic fire protection systems are checked quarterly or annually, depending on several factors.
The systems present in hotels, retail buildings and offices are designed to save lives by damping down the heat, smoke and gases present in a fire, giving human occupants time to exit the building. If an activated head extinguishes a fire. that is a bonus.
The heads are very simple and are activated by heat. A fluid filled bulb bursts when a certain heat point is reached, opening the head and water sprays. The heads are not activated by smoke alone.
My guess is this person started a smoky fire that never burned hot enough to set off a sprinkler head.
My concern would be for the rest of the hotel guests as she put them all in danger being so narcissistic! Very sad it was all about her! Hope she gets a stay in an inpatient facility as she is also a danger to others