A man was seen hanging from a third-floor hotel room window when fire crews responded to a system alarm, Wichita Fire Department Lt. Jose Ocadiz said on Monday. The firefighters could also see smoke coming from the Best Western room, he said. That was on Sunday morning at Best Western, 4742 S. Emporia, in south Wichita. The first responders contained the majority of the fire to that “room of origin” with the help of the hotels fire sprinkler system. Ocadiz said the fire was intentionally set, but the cause is still under investigation. The man who was hanging from the window fell down and received serious injuries from the fall, Ocadiz said. He was the only person in the hotel room.
The fire caused $100,000 in structural damage and $25,000 in content damage. Most of the damage was a result of the sprinkler system, he said.