Man Injured In Motel Room Fire
Lakeland Police Department Press Release:
LAKELAND, FL (March 1, 2020) – On Saturday, February 29, 2020, at approximately 9:53 p.m., officers responded to a disturbance call at a room at the Best Motel, 601 East Memorial Boulevard. A female caller advised that a male guest would not let her back into the room. Once on scene, officers found the room was on fire and full of smoke. Officers immediately began attempting to extinguish the fire as the Lakeland Fire Department was arriving on the scene. Inside, they found an unresponsive male, later identified as Patrick Williams, age 28. Fire rescue personnel removed Williams from the room for treatment, and efforts were coordinated to have him airlifted to Tampa General Hospital.
According to a witness, Williams had made threats to harm himself, and it is believed he intentionally set the room on fire. Guests in surrounding rooms were evacuated and relocated to other rooms on site.
At the latest update, Williams was listed in stable condition. No other motel guests were injured. Officers who made entry into the room were later evaluated for possible smoke inhalation at Lakeland Regional Health. The state fire investigator responded to the scene to complete the fire investigation.
