De Soto Hotel Fire cause classified “Undetermined”; case closed

EL PASO, Texas – Investigators have classified the Feb. 4 De Soto Hotel fire as "Undetermined After Investigation." According to a report from the El Paso Fire Marshal's Office, investigators say after a systematic fire scene examination and inspecting physical evidence they were not able to determine where the fire originated.

According to the report, the property owner, Rogelio Gonzalez, told an investigator that none of the rooms were occupied at the scene, and the building was being prepared for remodeling.

The report states Gonzalez said the only people who would enter the building were part of a "Ghost Tour."

"Mr. Gonzalez stated that the gas and water utilities had been cut off to the building since November of 2021, and the only utility still in service was the electricity. Mr. Gonzalez stated that there have been homeless people in the past who have tried to use the building for shelter, but the entrances have been boarded up or locked to prevent that from happening more recently," the report states.

The report's conclusion includes two hypotheses:

• Could not eliminate an intentional or reckless human act.
• Could not eliminate failure of equipment or electrical source.

"The determination regarding causation is based on a methodical search of the area, observations of the fire
travel and evidence observed at the scene," the reports states.

The El Paso Fire Marshal's office says it will remain available for future assistance that may be needed.

“It's not rare, it's not something we like to settle with, we do our best to get a definitive cause of all of our incidents however there are times where we just can't rule it out due to not enough information available to us, too many variables going on at the scene, excessive damage that kind of thing makes our job a little tougher,” said Robert Jones, Lieutenant Investigator for the El Paso Fire Department.

Jones said that although the case is closed, it can be opened at any time by an investigator if new evidence comes to light.

Rogelio Gonzalez, the owner of the DeSoto Hotel, told ABC-7 that despite the setback, he is still going to move forward with the restoration project of the hotel.

Gonzalez said the project price total will double as a new roof will need to be built, along with exterior and flooring repairs.

He said due to water and smoke damage, they will have to demolish more of the building but are already looking at two different designs for the new roof plan.

He said there are a lot of variables with the project and they will have to start it from scratch.

Right now Gonzalez said he is in clean-up mode, removing trash and debris from the building but is waiting for the city to respond on some of the incentives.

ABC-7 reached out to the city for a response.

In a statement from the city, Economic and International Development Director Elizabeth Triggs, said "The city is actively working with the property owner to determine the next steps for the DeSoto Hotel. Over the last seven years, the City has worked in partnership with the private property owners to preserve several historic properties, including the Hotel Paso del Norte, Plaza Hotel, Bassett Tower, and Martin Building. We continue to embrace preservation as a key economic development strategy and look forward to future opportunities to preserve and revitalize our historic downtown core."