A 16-year-old girl was arrested on Tuesday after she set a couch on fire at a hotel following a fight with her mother. Hundreds of guests were evacuated early in the morning, Ocala Police Department said.
The police informed that Isabella Faith Adeline Garcia and her mother were visiting the Ocala Hilton on SW 36th Avenue from Peoria, Illinois when the incident took place at about 3:20 am.
Ms Garcia called 911 approximately three to five minutes after starting the fire, Fox News reported.
"I got into a fight with my mom," she told dispatchers, according to the affidavit. "I got into a fight with my mom and then she got another room. She wasn't talking to me and then she wouldn't answer any of my calls or text messages. I don't know. It was like this couch in the lobby ... I don't know what to do."
"I'm scared. I don't know what to do," the girl added.
"Units arrived at the nine-story hotel to find audible and visual alarms, an active sprinkler system, and Ocala Police Department members assisting guests in evacuating the premises," Ocala Fire Rescue said in a statement on Facebook.
The firefighters encountered moderate smoke as they entered the lobby of the hotel.
Per staff's indications, firefighters made their way down a first-floor hallway near the banquet rooms. As they approached, smoke conditions worsened. Using a thermal imaging camera, crews located the seat of the fire. In conjunction with the sprinkler system, crews used a water can to smother the flames, which consumed a couch and scorched an adjacent wall.
The fire was extinguished entirely within seven minutes of arrival, the police said.
After a brief investigation, the police arrested the 16-year-old girl.
"The damage to the hotel is estimated to be a couple hundred thousand dollars," Ocala Police said. "Thankfully, no one was injured ... and hotel guests were able to return to their rooms the same morning."
"The 16-year-old girl who allegedly started this fire within the Hilton hotel was arrested for arson," the police informed.
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