Historic Raton hotel catches fire

This is a terrible tragedy, not only is the El Portal one of the many historical buildings of Raton, but provides lodging as not only a hotel for those traveling through Raton, but the apartments are home to many community members.

8 am my ass. it started after midnight

I used to live in Raton. So what's
the latest? Is there anything left?

And the insurance coverage for the property is how much?

I wonder which of the pot heads that lives in the apartments there started the fire.

This building is located across the street from the police station. I wonder if it is a sign from the family who's relative got tazed by the police and died. Just a thought.

get this wrote:

This building is located across the street from the police station. I wonder if it is a sign from the family who's relative got tazed by the police and died. Just a thought.

Check again Sherlock; this hotel is not RIGHT ACROSS the street from the police station. Close...yes, but not right across the street. What a donkey you are.

Had many great lunches there...is the restaurant still open?

It started 10:30 pm Tuesday.

Thanks for the info.

my Boyfriend was a fireman working the cite. The job lasted about 19 hours. Starting at 11 pm Tuesday night. No one was hurt ( but this is not official) but there was a back draft.

my boyfriend was also one of the hardworking fireman on the job all day. RIGHT ON KJR!!!! My bf was still in the damn building when the backdraft occured, luckily they got out. Talk about give me a heart attack!!!!

so what wrote:

Had many great lunches there...is the restaurant still open?

The Third Street Cage was closed today, obviously, with a fire in the same building.

It's not in the area of the hotel destroyed by the fire, but at this point it's impossible to say how the renovation/demolition will affect the restaurant. Maybe they could buy/least the old Hot Dog Depot that's across the street, empty, and for sale? Plenty of other business space available downtown too (ie, about half of the downtown business spaces are vacant), including several locations that have been restaurants in the past.

What does a fire have to be related to drugs or for that matter revenge on th PD. Fires happen for many reasons. The hotel was old, maybe it was old wiring or something like that. By the way the Police Dept is a block away if my memory serves me right. My sympathy goes out to those that may have called the El Portal home. Being a native of Raton, it's sad to hear of the fire.

get this wrote:

This building is located across the street from the police station. I wonder if it is a sign from the family who's relative got tazed by the police and died. Just a thought.

Thats got to be the stupidest thing I heard all night. How about this. The Casino is coming in 2 years. It would take two years to remodel this place. This is the second or third time it went up. Why ? Should it have gone thru fire inspection? Maybe they did but still passed because someone who put the casino deal together has a hand in the hotel and it's interest. Maybe it was just a miss fortunate accident. Was any one murdered in it?

No, my friend Jesse was and it was because he was PURO MEXICANO, and the racism that exists in my home town (that I love very much) feed their hatred till they killed him. I cannot wait for these cops to step into "our world". The world you created for us, with razor wire. You sound like a bad cop supporter. Must be your brother who is on the inditement.

kjr wrote:

my Boyfriend was a fireman working the cite. The job lasted about 19 hours. Starting at 11 pm Tuesday night. No one was hurt ( but this is not official) but there was a back draft.

eww a back draft. thats what they get paid for. They are professionals regardless of what they are up against the only real heros Raton does have are the Fire Fighter. Chief randy and the guys you rock !!!!!!

thanks you (the RFD) for what crap you have o put up from everyone else. you never hear of you guys running your mouth of and Rocky's an ok cage fighter.

BIG ROG

Ted wrote:

What does a fire have to be related to drugs or for that matter revenge on th PD. Fires happen for many reasons. The hotel was old, maybe it was old wiring or something like that. By the way the Police Dept is a block away if my memory serves me right. My sympathy goes out to those that may have called the El Portal home. Being a native of Raton, it's sad to hear of the fire.

Thank you Ted. Thank you for sticking up for Raton. I love my home town and the people there. Granted a few I would not mind choking the shit out of, but I'd buy em a beer the next day. You rock Ted .....

CornDaddy wrote:

And the insurance coverage for the property is how much?

My family owns this hotel and I am disgusted that you could insinuate that it was an insurance scam. Fires happen. This is their lively-hood. i know its hard for some to understand that there are decent people in the world.

I am a fire fighter in San Diego, one of my best friends just recently started working for RFD. I received a text message from one of the other fire fighters using my friends phone. He told me that my friend suffered burns to his neck and ears during the back draft. I haven't heard of any fire fighter injuries in any of the news stories I have read on the internet. Can anyone tell me if they have heard anything related to an injured fire fighter?