Fremont Hotel Room Fire in Downtown Las Vegas Under Investigation

Posted on: August 31, 2022, 02:45h. 

Last updated on: September 1, 2022, 12:45h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

A mattress fire at the Fremont Hotel in downtown Las Vegas was quickly battled by responding firefighters Wednesday morning. No injuries were reported and it took crews three minutes or less to extinguish the blaze.

Fremont Hotel in downtown Las Vegas
Fire trucks parked in front of the Fremont Hotel in downtown Las Vegas, pictured above. A mattress fire in a hotel room was quickly extinguished. (Image: RTC Fastcam)

The fire was first reported to emergency officials at 4:55 am. It broke out in a 10th-floor room in the casino’s hotel. It appeared the headboard was also on fire. It is unclear if other parts of the room were damaged by smoke or flames.

No immediate damage estimate was released by the Las Vegas Fire & Rescue department on Wednesday. The cause of the fire was not immediately known. Investigators have yet to rule out if it may have been linked to a guest smoking in bed.

The numerous responding fire trucks blocked access to Casino Center Boulevard for over an hour, KLAS, a local TV station, reported. Crews remained at the scene to fight the fire and continue their efforts to find its cause

The Fremont Hotel & Casino is located on the Fremont Street Experience, a popular pedestrian mall. It is an iconic gaming property, with the casino operated by Boyd Gaming.

Hospital Arson Reported

In an unrelated fire incident on August 23, a man allegedly set a car on fire at about 5:50 pm in front of the entrance to the emergency room at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center.

The suspect, Kenny Hall, 51, drove to the emergency room entrance. An unnamed woman in his car exited and entered the hospital. Then, Hall moved into the car’s back seat and, for an unspecified reason, poured out some kind of an accelerant. The woman passenger attempted to reenter the car. It was unknown if she was trying to prevent him from setting the fire.

A car was set on fire in front of the emergency room at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in Las Vegas, pictured above. The car’s driver was arrested. (Image: KVVU)

Hall pushed her away before allegedly igniting the blaze. The fire led to smoke flowing into the hospital’s emergency room.

The hospital said the fire didn’t impact operations and used an HVAC system to clear the air. No patients were injured.

Hall was able to flee from the emergency room area shortly after he set the fire, authorities said. He was arrested a short distance from the hospital. He’s been charged with first- and third-degree arson, officials reported.

Arson Suspect Burned

Hall was reportedly injured and suffered burns on his body, KVVU, a local TV station, said. Before being placed in custody, Hall underwent treatment at University Medical Center.

The female passenger in the car wasn’t injured.

Hall remains in custody on Wednesday at the Clark County Detention Center, according to online jail records. He has previous arrests for attempted sexual assault, battery, trespassing, and domestic violence, KVVU reported. Details on those crimes were not immediately available.