Stockton Firefighter's Helmet Cam Gives Inside View Of Earle Hotel Fire

STOCKTON (CBS13) — The Stockton Fire Department has posted a helmet cam video showing a Stockton firefighter's perspective of Wednesday's fire at the historic Earle Hotel.

The hotel, which was abandoned for years, was gutted by a fire that burned for hours through the old brick building.

Video from a firefighter's helmet cam shows crews moving in on the blaze that sealed the fate of the building that's sat empty for more than a decade.

The hotel was once a symbol of a thriving downtown. The plan was to turn the rundown hotel into a parking lot. The city shut it down in 2001, evicting tenants over hundreds of code violations and a bat infestation.

In the past 13 years, the city has faced the one-two punch of a recession and the state pulling redevelopment funds. Like many abandoned buildings in downtown Sacramento, the building just sat, too pricey for the city to tear down or renovate.

The Earle isn't the only trouble spot for the city. Last week, the city announced plans to sell three hotels its held in hopes someone will put forward the money to renovate the properties.