Garden Motel razed, fire still under investigation

COEUR d’ALENE — More than a year after the flames were extinguished, the fire that gutted the Garden Motel remains under investigation — and the building is no more.

“It goes down as a little bit of a mystery,” Coeur d’Alene Fire Department investigator Craig Etherton said Tuesday.

Coeur d’Alene firefighters and police responded to 1808 Northwest Blvd. around 8:30 a.m. on July 14, 2019.

More than 30 firefighters spent almost six hours battling the blaze. No one was injured.

Though the fire appeared to be human-caused, it’s possible that it was accidental rather than intentional. Homeless or transient individuals were known to camp at the vacant motel, Etherton said.

“We never really could rule out that maybe somebody had a little cooking fire that got away from them,” he said.

For that reason, he said, the exact cause of the fire remains undetermined. The Coeur d’Alene Police Department confirmed Wednesday that there have been no significant breaks in the case yet.

Ron Ayers, who has owned the property since 2002, said he believes the fire was deliberately set.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt it was arson,” he said. “There was no power or fuel sources in the building, so no way to ignite on its own.”

He said police have video of unknown people in the area the morning of the fire.

Because the burned building was deemed hazardous, the site was razed to the ground late last week, Etherton said.

“I’m happy to finally have the demolition of the property complete,” Ayers said.

The Garden was built in the early 1950s and an addition was constructed in 1976, Ayers said. It closed in 2016.

Police asked in 2019 for the public to help detectives identify the person or people who started the fire. Etherton said investigators are still seeking information.

“We’d still love any information people may have heard,” he said. “We’re always happy to follow those leads.”

Ayers said he has plans for the property, though he has not announced the details yet.

“It’s a very dynamic time in this neighborhood, with all the city has accomplished,” he said, referring to other projects like the Atlas Mill site and the health corridor urban renewal district. “It’s been a long road for me on this project, but I’m looking to finally add something to the community in this visible location that is worth the wait.”

Ralph Bartholdt contributed to this report.