Charlotte motel intentionally set on fire was supposed to be demolished months ago

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By DaShawn Brown

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A two-alarm fire was set intentionally at the Airport Parkway Inn Friday afternoon in west Charlotte, according to Charlotte fire officials.

It is estimated the property loss is $193,000.

Channel 9 learned Airport Parkway Inn was shut down in the last year after a massive list of problems, including bed bugs, roaches and other unsanitary conditions.

The inn had been a home for struggling families who were told to vacate last September.

Last November, officials called for it to be demolished within 60 days.

Investigators haven’t said who set the building on fire and why.

“The way it smelled, and as long as it burned, you would think, did somebody pour kerosene throughout it,” said former employee Quandra Truesdale. “When my roommate got home at 6 o’clock, the fire trucks were still out there putting water on it.”

[RELATED: Charlotte motel plagued with violations to be demolished] 

[ [RELATED: County commissioner discovers bed bugs, filth at hotel for transitional families] ]

A lot of people were shocked the motel was still standing, especially since it’s been eight months since officials said the inn was going to be demolished.

“It's just a lot of trouble,” Truesdale said. “A lot of menaces to society over there.”

Mecklenburg County Commissioner Pat Cotham was vocal then about shutting the motel down.

“When I worked to get this thing closed, it was the worst place I'd ever seen in my life,” Cotham said. “They need to tear it down. Period.”

Firefighters were called to the motel fire on Berryhill Road at Wilkinson Boulevard around 1 p.m. Friday.

Fifteen firefighters received IVs for dehydration after battling the fire, but were able to return to duty shortly after.

Chopper 9 Skyzoom flew over the scene and saw smoke and firefighters on several levels of the building.

Shortly after officials arrived, they called a second alarm on the fire.

Wilkinson Boulevard was shut down in the area as crews worked to get the fire under control.

Officials said making sure firefighters rehydrate before they are released to go back to work is a priority. They said they also monitor their blood pressure.

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