Aftermath of the De Soto Hotel Fire

EL PASO, Texas – Just a day after the historic De Soto Hotel went up in flames, one nearby restaurant owner began to clean up the damage that was left behind. 

Emiliano Marentes, the owner of  Elemi restaurant, told ABC-7 that the De Soto Hotel was so close to his business, they were forced to evacuate last night.

The situation quickly escalated and they were forced to leave the building mid service. 

"As the police department was there, things got a little serious. They were really stern about us getting out, so we just did our best and left everything like it is - grabbed our jackets and locked up and left,” Marentes said. 

Marentes told ABC-7 that because of the proximity to the fire, he did fear for his building and his restaurant. 

Marentes called the scene, “something out of a movie.”

He said that his business did not receive any type of damage, but the front of the restaurant was visibly covered in debris and water continued to flow from the alley Saturday morning.

Marentes was just able to return to his restaurant this morning. He says the fire department deemed it safe, but they were still waiting for the gas service to be restored. 

Today, Marentes was seen cleaning the front portion of his restaurant. He says he wants it to look presentable in time for his customers. 

Meanwhile a nearby visitor told ABC-7 that he witnessed the fire and was evacuated out of his hotel bedroom at Hotel Indigo. 

Ethan Lennox was visiting from Pittsburgh. 

“We just checked in about an hour before the fire started and we got to our room. I was talking to my mom on the phone and looked out the window and saw the smoke coming and just saw it for the next half hour," he said.

He said that for one moment he was afraid, but he saw that the fire department was handling the situation well.