Hot Springs' fire chief says the fire that destroyed the Majestic Hotel was likely set by trespassers - but that the cause may never be determined because it wasn't safe to send investigators inside the building before it was torn down.
Fire Chief Ed Davis says investigators believe the Feb. 27 fire was likely set by either "urban explorers" or homeless people who were inside the abandoned building on a regular basis.
Davis tells The Sentinel-Record that someone may have set the fire to keep warm, not as an attempt to burn the building down.
Davis says he decided not to send firefighters inside the building during the blaze because of safety concerns - so he chose not to send fire marshals in afterward.
