Arson is suspected in a fire that broke out Wednesday night at a residential hotel in Santa Maria, sending two people to the hospital.
Firefighters responded shortly after 8 p.m. to the Mission Hotel at 300 W. Main St., according to the Santa Maria Fire Department.
Crews arrived to find smoke showing from the front of the building.
Firefighters undertook a quick attack and contained the blaze to one room, but smoke filled the entire building, Battalion Chief Mike Barneich said.
A hotel resident, Jack McDonald, 62, suffered minor burns, and was taken to Marian Regional Medical Center for treatment, said Santa Maria police Sgt. Paul Flores.
McDonald was later arrested on suspicion of aggravated arson, and booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail, Flores said
A Santa Maria police officer, who was not identified, was treated for smoke inhalation sustained while he was helping evacuate the building, Flores added.
“Luckily, it didn’t get into the building itself,” Barneich said of the fire.
Damage, estimated at $12,000, primarily was contained to the contents in the room, he added.
Approximately 15 to 20 people were inside the hotel at the time of the fire, and were evacuated.
The one-story, 32-room hotel was built more than 60 years ago. The hotel has smoke alarms, but no fire sprinklers, Barneich said.
“This was a fortunate quick save,” Barneich said, adding the quick decisions and actions by the first firefighters to arrive at the scene prevented the incident from being worse.
Multiple engines from the Fire Department responded to the incident, along with the Santa Maria Police Department and American Medical Response.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.