Hotel Putnam fire investigation closes with no known suspects

Oct. 10--DELAND -- The state's investigation into the "set fire" at the vacant Hotel Putnam has been closed without any suspects identified.

Mohamed Rashad, the owner of the building, said in a phone interview Tuesday that he's not sure who poured gasoline and started a fire on his property on April 29, or why.

[READ MORE: DeLand's Hotel Putnam burned by 'set fire' as arson investigators seek information]

[READ MORE: DeLand's historic Hotel Putnam's future uncertain after fire]

[READ MORE: New owner takes on 'big task' in DeLand's Hotel Putnam]

What Rashad says he does know is that he's not in this for an insurance payout, despite some of the details in the state's Bureau of Fire and Arson Investigations report.

The report states that the insurance policy application contained false affirmations, such as having a watchman at the property at all times and having an active sprinkler system, and inconsistencies about the building's condition.

"If I don't get anything from the insurance company, I'm fine with that, I'm just there to work," Rashad said.

Rashad said he doesn't know why the state's report would say those things because he didn't lie on the application, and even if he'd tried, the insurance company would've noticed having sent a representative to the property as part of the application process.

He said he and his crew were able to start working again a few weeks after the fire, and he hopes to have the interior demolition work completed by early next month.

Rick Werbiskis, DeLand's community development director, said the city is awaiting a final structural report. Rashad said a structural engineer will issue the report after the interior demo work is done.

The fire started on the ground floor in a storage room and extended to the roof, touching each of the six floors to some degree as it spread, according to the state's report.

After a brief conversation at the scene with Rashad, an investigator wrote that Rashad said the building had last been occupied by his work crew the day before, a Saturday, and secured and locked when they were done for the day.

Rashad said Sundays are the only time crews aren't there doing interior demo work.

While the Putnam has been vacant for several years, during which it's been "plagued with transient activity and vandalism from juveniles," the report states that "this is not the type of fire commonly initiated as a result of juvenile criminal activity."

Rashad said when he was first applying for insurance, he wanted to cover the amount he was indebted, $800,000, after having made a down payment of $200,000.

He said the company initially informed him it could only cover the capital improvements made to the hotel.

The report states that the company did later realize that both the building and renovations would be covered.

Since most of the work that's been done so far is on the interior, Rashad, who plans on reopening the building as a hotel or apartment complex, started an Instagram account so people can see pictures of the progress.

[INSTAGRAM: Photos of work on Hotel Putnam]

He said listening to gossip about the property and his intentions isn't productive for him and that his challenge is to focus on breathing life back into the historic structure, a task that others haven't accomplished yet.

"I'm going to give it 100 percent and even more, and if it takes me down, it takes me down, but people will see that I'm not there to collect money," Rashad said.

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