Above: The St. Francis Hotel engulfed in flames
Photo courtesy of the Susanville Police Department
A Susanville woman was arrested earlier this month for allegedly setting a local hotel on fire.
According to a press release by the Susanville Police Department, an officer noticed heavy smoke coming from the St. Francis Hotel on Main Street in the early morning hours of Friday, Nov. 1. Dispatch alerted the Susanville Interagency Fire Center who, in turn, sent fire crews to the scene.
Fire personnel began to arrive and found the building fully engulfed in flames and smoke. Crews began efforts to extinguish the fire using a monitor line and an aerial stream. Additional fire units were called to assist.
Firefighters worked to extinguish the flames in the hotel and an adjacent business where the fire had spread to the roof, police said.
Surveillance video provided by a local business reportedly showed one person entering the hotel and leaving two minutes later. Shortly after, an explosion occurred on the building’s second floor. Within three minutes, a police officer arrived and reported the fire.
Later, the individual seen on the video was identified and interviewed. Police identified the individual as Tahnee Willow Orr, 39, of Susanville.
Orr was booked at the Lassen County jail on suspicion of aggravated arson.
