OCALA, Fla. — A 16-year-old girl was arrested for arson on Tuesday for lighting a fire at a Central Florida hotel, according to the Ocala Police Department.
Police said the teen, who was visiting from Illinois, reportedly started the fire within the Hilton Ocala after fighting with her mom.
The fire resulted in 320 guests being evacuated. The damage to the hotel is estimated to be a couple of hundred thousand dollars, police said.
There were no reported injuries.
Firefighters in Tampa are asking for higher wages as they face an "increased workload." Multiple unions representing city workers are meeting with leadership this week to see what improvements they can bring back to their members.
At a meeting with city leaders Wednesday, the International Association of Firefighters Local 754 Union president said the most important thing on their priority list is, “the people, the people on the trucks, the people in the stations.”
The firefighters who serve in the city say inflation has made it tough for them to afford to live in the Tampa Bay area with their current wages.
“We will have to increase salaries in order to help recruit people to apply here,” Local 754 President Nicolas Stocco said.
10 Tampa Bay's Miranda Parnell contributed to this report.
