A transient from Washington state has been arrested for allegedly starting the fire on Sunday that destroyed a Sulphur hotel that had been vacant since the 2020 hurricanes that hit Southwest Louisiana.

Nathan Hal Thomasini, 27, was booked into the Calcasieu Parish Jail on Sunday, said Ashley Rodrigue, public affairs director for the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

He is charged with on one count each of simple arson, simple burglary and injury by arson. He faces additional charges from another law enforcement agency.

In the early morning hours of Oct. 23, the Sulphur Fire Department responded to a report of a hotel fire located in the 300 block of South Cities Service Highway. The building was the Quality Inn & Suites hotel, which had been vacant and without utility connections or life safety systems like fire sprinklers since 2020. Two firefighters received minor injuries during the response.

During the investigation, deputies learned that Thomasini, who was known to trespass on the property, was taken into custody by Sulphur Police early in the investigation. Further investigative efforts including collecting witness statements and surveillance video of the area confirmed Thomasini as being in the immediate area of the hotel at the time the fire started. Deputies also confirmed he was the sole occupant of the structure at the time of the fire. Thomasini was then booked on several arrest warrants in connection with the case.