Fire engulfs historic Hotel Marysville

Firefighters were still battling flames that completely engulfed the historic Hotel Marysville into early Sunday morning with the exact cause of the fire still unknown.

According to Marysville and Linda Fire Chief Kyle Heggstrom, a call was received around 10 p.m. Saturday night regarding a fire at the long abandoned hotel. Officials initially told the Appeal that the fire reportedly started somewhere on the third floor of the building.

Heggstrom described the scene when fire personnel arrived.

“Upon our arrival we had fires on numerous rooms on numerous floors of the structure making numerous attacks, and just weren’t unable to extinguish it,” Heggstrom said.

CalWater was on scene to help manage the water situation on the scene.

With firefighters battling the blaze from the exterior to keep the fire from spreading to neighboring buildings, traffic along E Street was eventually detoured and the public who had gathered was moved to a safe distance as fears of a collapse were ever present.

“There’s a very good chance it’ll collapse,” Heggstrom said as flames could be seen on every floor.

Heggstrom said during the heaviest moments of the fire that he was unaware of any person or people inside. Firefighters had initially been in the building to battle the blaze, but were moved out as their safety became an increasing concern. There were no reports of serious injuries.

Heavy smoke billowed out of the building for much of the night as flames from the roof rose into the night sky and embers fell to the ground. No fire damage or other significant damage could be seen on surrounding buildings.

Firefighters attacked flames inside the historic Hotel Marysville from multiple angles Saturday night after fires broke out in numerous rooms of the structure, which is now feared to be near collapse. (Robert Summa / Marysville Appeal-Democrat)

During the most intense moments of the fire, the heat and sound of the fire inside the building could be felt and heard across the street. Several city officials were on the scene watching the fire tear through the historic building.

Because of the unknown structural integrity as of early Sunday morning, officials estimated that the perimeter of the building, including E Street, could be closed off to traffic for as long as two weeks.

The future of the building is now unclear. A city official told the Appeal a deal had just neared completion to sell it to a buyer. The status of that deal is now in question, including the fate of the building. While many had hoped the building could be restored at some point, with the amount of fire damage that has now been done, it was not clear early Sunday morning if demolition will now be required.

Spot fires were still reported inside the Hotel Marysville on Sunday morning, with fire crews still tending to business as surrounding city streets were closed. (Robert Summa — Marysville Appeal-Democrat)

Several area fire departments assisted the Marysville Fire Department, including Linda, Yuba City, Wheatland, Olivehurst, and CalFire.

Marysville Police Chief Chris Sachs praised Heggstrom for how he handled the response to the fire, noting his calmness and business-like demeanor in what was very much a chaotic situation at first as multiple agencies had to coordinate – including Caltrans which helped reroute traffic.

At least 200 spectators could be seen during the height of the fire on Saturday night, all littered around 5th and E Street.

Chuck Smith, a government official and a person knowledgeable of area history, gave insight into Hotel Marysville’s beginnings and those who passed through it.

“Marysville Hotel Company was incorporated in June of 1919 for the purpose of building a five-story hotel at Fifth and E streets, on the site of the original Rideout Hospital in the former Norman Dunning and Phebe Rideout mansion,” Smith said. “It was a community project. $400,000 was raised from among multiple Marysville business interests. Opened for business in March of 1926. Closed in the 1980s. Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig slept there, as did many other celebrities. There is a local legend that Roy Rogers, who had a ranch in the area, brought a horse up one of the elevators.”

Urban Smart Growth were the current owners of the building. Before their former CEO Lance Robbins passed away in August 2023, there were plans to revitalize it. After his death, the building was put up for sale.

Robert Summa is the editor of the Appeal-Democrat in Marysville.