DELAND, Fla. -- The state fire marshal is investigating a suspicious fire after flames broke out at a historic hotel in DeLand.

  • State fire marshal investigates suspicious DeLand hotel fire
  • Fire marshal trying to determine any signs of arson
  • Owner of hotel faces heavy smoke and water damage

 "It just shot up all the way to the 6th floor," said Mohamed Rashad as he described the fire.

In March, Mohamed Rashad bought the historical Hotel Putnam in DeLand.

"I fell in love with the building when I saw it first. It's really sad, and I feel like people would want to cherish a building like that in their own town," Rashad said. 

Crews started working on it three weeks ago, and 18 months from now, the more than 100-year-old building was expected to turn into a hotel with rental apartments.

"It was in the back," Rashad described the flames.

Now owner Rashad is faced with heavy damage after flames impacted several floors.

The DeLand Fire chief said it is still very early in the investigation, and it's still unclear what started the fire. 

"Anytime you have a vacant building, you would call it suspicious because there was no power to the building, and it didn't just start on its own," said Chief Daniel Hanes.

The chief said now every floor has smoke and water damage. 

People stopped by the hotel throughout the day, as some were in shock to see parts of the building burned, and some reflected on, in tears, their memories in the hotel.

"It makes me upset and angry," said Harrison Chandler, a resident.

The fire chief said it could take days before they find out what happened.

Everyone who loved it are still very optimistic and believe its beauty will be restored.

"New rooms, new paint and a lot of new furniture, I think they can actually do it. I got a lot of hope and prayers that they can all bring it back," said Guy Lakeway, a former employee from the 1980s.

"It’s a setback, yes, but we'll get through it," Rashad said.

The chief is sending in dogs that are trained to sniff out accelerants to check for any signs of arson, and if they find out it was intentionally set, they'll begin an arson investigation.