PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A man is facing arson charges for starting a fire inside the historic hotel he manages in Camas, police said.
A hotel guest called 911 on Wednesday morning after hearing a smoke alarm inside a guest room on the 3rd floor of the Camas Hotel & Suites on NE 4th Avenue. The guest extinguished the small fire inside the room with a fire extinguisher, the Camas Police Department said.
The room was unoccupied and it sustained minimal damage. There were 15 guests and one employee inside of the hotel at the time, police said. The Camas Hotel has been in business since 1911 and is an official historic building.
Firefighters found signs the fire had been started intentionally so police took over the investigation. Detectives said the manager of the family-owned hotel — 30-year-old Won Dong A. LEE KIM of Camas — started the fire in an attempt to make money through insurance fraud.
LEE KIM will be booked into the Clark County Jail for 1st-degree arson.