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Dupont Plaza Hotel arson facts for kids

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Dupont Plaza Hotel arson
Dupont Plaza Fire USCG.jpg
Dupont Plaza Rescue by Phyllis Gottschalk
Date December 31, 1986 (1986-12-31)
Time 3:30 p.m.
Venue Hotel Dupont Plaza
Location San Juan, Puerto Rico
Type Fire
Cause Arson
Deaths 98
Non-fatal injuries 140
Convicted Héctor Escudero, Armando Jiménez, and José Rivera
Sentence Jiménez: 75 years in prison
Escudero, Rivera: 99 years in prison

The Dupont Plaza Hotel arson was a terrible fire that happened on New Year's Eve in 1986. This fire was started on purpose by three people who used to work at the hotel. They were having a disagreement with the hotel owners about their jobs.

Sadly, 98 people died in the fire. Many of them died from breathing in too much smoke. About 140 other people were hurt.

About the Hotel

The Dupont Plaza Hotel first opened its doors in 1963. It was originally known as the Puerto Rico-Sheraton. The Sheraton hotel company managed it until 1980. This was just before Sheraton started adding important fire safety features to its hotels.

The Fire Starts

A Work Disagreement

The hotel employees had a union. A union is a group that helps workers with their jobs and rights. This union called a meeting for its members. The meeting took place in the hotel's large ballroom on the afternoon of December 31, 1986.

Around 3:00 p.m., the 125 union members at the meeting voted. They decided to go on strike starting at midnight that day. A strike means workers stop working to protest something.

Setting the Fire

Three union members decided to cause trouble. Their names were Héctor Escudero Aponte, José Rivera López, and Arnaldo Jiménez. They planned to start several small fires. Their goal was to scare the tourists staying at the hotel.

At about 3:30 p.m., they put open cans of chafing fuel in a storage room. This room held new furniture. The three men then set the fuel on fire.

The fire quickly grew out of control. It became very large and spread through the building.

What Happened After

The Investigation

A government safety group called the United States' Occupational Safety and Health Administration looked into the fire. They found 25 safety problems at the hotel. For example, the emergency exit doors in the casino area were not working right. This problem caused 84 guests to get trapped and die.

Those Responsible

In April 1987, the three men who started the fire admitted what they did. Héctor Escudero Aponte was 35 years old. Arnaldo Jiménez Rivera was 29. José Francisco Rivera López was 40. They were found guilty of causing the deaths in the New Year's Eve disaster. Two of the men were later released from federal prison.

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