Victorville Man Arrested for Setting Fire to Room at the Sunset Inn

Staff Writer

Wednesday, March 29th, 2017

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VICTORVILLE – A late-morning fire at the Sunset Inn in Victorville was determined to be the result of arson authorities said.

At around 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday, March 28, 2017, deputies from the Victorville station and San Bernardino County Fire Department firefighters responded to the report of a commercial structure fire in the 15100 block of Mojave Drive. The report indicated that there was a subject trapped inside the first-floor room.

When the first responding deputy arrived they reported that smoke was showing from the room. He attempted to open the door, but soon realized that the door was blocked from the inside. He forced the door open in order to gain entry and check for any occupants inside the room. Once inside the room he located Joe Smith, 38, of Victorville who was on the floor. He was unresponsive, but he was breathing.

Deputies removed Smith from the room and carried him to safety. Firefighters determined that most of the fire was contained to the mattress inside the room. Several other items were burned as a result of the fire.

American Medical Response (AMR) responded and transported Smith to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Once medically cleared, Smith was released to the custody of deputies. He was arrested for Arson and Vandalism and is scheduled to appear at the Victorville Superior Court on Thursday, March 30, 2017.

Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to contact the Victorville Police Department at (760) 241-2911. Callers wishing to remain anonymous are urged to call the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78CRIME (27463) or you may leave information on the We-Tip website at www.wetip.com.