Fire destroys what remained of Richmond’s historic International Hotel

What was left of Richmond's historic International Hotel turned to ashes late Tuesday afternoon, after its already charred framework had been left sitting amid garbage and rubble for more than two years following a 2023 fire.

Richmond Deputy Fire Chief Rico Rincon said firefighters responded just before 5 p.m. Tuesday to yet another fire at the vacant property.

“Our first alarm crews arrived on scene. Smoke was visible from Carlson and neighboring areas,” Rincon said. “We previously had fires at this building. There were only a few walls still standing from the old hotel property.”

Richmond Deputy Fire Chief Rico Rincon details the fire department’s response to the International Hotel fire on Tuesday, November 4, 2025.

The response to the blaze brought out four fire engines, one fire truck, and one supporting engine from El Cerrito, according to Rincon, who said the building wasn't occupied at the time of the fire.

“Our initial plan was to attack the fire as well as search those to make sure we didn’t have any occupants there, and those searches provided all clear,” Rincon said.

Due to the location of and intensity of the fire, Rincon expected crews to remain at the scene until the fire was fully extinguished.

“We’re going to have some crews from Public Works come in and bring some heavy equipment to help us get into some of the deep-seated areas of the fire,” he said. “We’ll be here for quite some time.”

Richmond's Historic International Hotel burned for a second time on Tuesday, November 4, 2025. Photos/ Soren HemmilaA

Omar Rojas, whose parents own the property next door, said the property has frequent visitors.

“There’s a lot of people going in and out living here. The city does well on kicking them out, but we didn’t think it would happen again,” Rojas said. “The flames were pretty high. So I don’t know if they used gasoline or who knows.”

The hotel, where the Pullman Brotherhood of Black Sleeping Car Porters Union members would stay during Richmond's early years, was reduced to a burnt frame in April of 2023 in an intense early morning blaze that gutted the building.

The property at 396 South Street was formerly owned by Richmond activist Ethel Dotson and was located near the Pullman Rail Car Shops, which closed in 1959. South Street was recently renamed Ethel Dotson South Street in an effort by the Pullman Neighborhood Council to honor Dotson, who passed away in 2007.

The property's current owner is Dotson's son, Kariti Eric Hartman.

Since the 2023 fire, the property has been a dumping ground for garbage, old mattresses, and other discarded items.

In the fall of 2023, the Pullman Neighborhood Council held a discussion with councilmembers Doria Robinson and Gayle McLaughlin, as well as Hartman, to explore ideas, including a vision to transform the property into a cultural center dedicated to preserving the history of the hotel and the surrounding neighborhood.

In the months following the discussion, plans failed to materialize, and the hotel continued to deteriorate due to exposure to the elements.

“Our fire investigators and our fire marshal are here currently,” Rincon said. “They’ll be doing some interviews and questions to try to determine the cause and see if there’s any information that helps us out with that.”

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