Myrtle Beach hotel fire sparks arson, attempted murder charges for Surfside Beach woman

A 40-year-old Surfside Beach woman is charged with second-degree arson and attempted murder after a fire ignited early Tuesday morning on the 14th floor of an Ocean Boulevard resort, causing injury to a 31-year-old man, police said.

Dawn Alivia Jordan was arrested by Myrtle Beach police Wednesday in connection with the incident, according to jail records.

The charges stem from a blaze in which Myrtle Beach police and fire crews were called at about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday to the Ocean Reef Resort at 7100 North Ocean Boulevard.

A front desk employee of the resort told police that Jordan came to them and said her 14th floor room was on fire and that someone was still in the bed, police said.

Police went up to investigate and saw smoke billowing from the room. Smoke poured out from the room after an officer kicked open the door, which was already open about an inch or two, according to the incident report.

The officer shouted to see if anyone was inside, but no one responded, the report says. Fire crews soon arrived and cleared the room. Firefighters discovered one male victim unresponsive in the back corner of the room, and the man was taken to Grand Strand Regional Medical Center, police said.

The fire was contained to one room in an older part of the resort, Battalion Chief and Fire Marshal Bruce Arnel with Myrtle Beach Fire Rescue, said Tuesday and the building was evacuated.

An affidavit states that an altercation took place in the room after a night of drug and alcohol use, and Jordan later threw a lit cigarette on the victim who was asleep on the bed. She then left the room, according to the report.

An investigation showed the fire started from underneath the victim’s bed, and several torch lighters and narcotics were discovered in the room, according to the affidavit.

The victim’s condition was unknown Thursday afternoon, but the affidavit stated the victim suffered serious bodily injuries and was transported to Augusta Burn Center in Augusta, Ga.

Jordan is being held at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center where her bond has not been set, records showed Thursday morning.

This story was originally published December 1, 2016 at 8:23 AM with the headline "Myrtle Beach hotel fire sparks arson, attempted murder charges for Surfside Beach woman."