Fire of an unknown origin broke out Friday afternoon in the remains of the Virgin Isle Hotel, a location often occupied by squatters and one that has become a graveyard for deserted vehicles.
The top floor of the hotel was engulfed with flames when fire fighters arrived at the scene around 2 p.m.
Fire services personnel fought the blaze for about 90 minutes before bringing it under control. The smell of burning wood continued to linger in the atmosphere through Saturday morning. There was no visible damage to the building located in the Upper John Dunkoe area of St. Thomas.
The abandoned structure was damaged in Hurricane Hugo but suffered its heaviest damage in Hurricane Marilyn five years ago.
The area that burned was known as the hotel’s "Blue Room," which served for many years as the St. Thomas studios of WIVI FM, which today is St. Croix’s "Magic 97X," WSTX 970 AM.
The Virgin Isle Hotel building was turned over to the local government in 1998 by the Maribe Hotel Corp. It has been derelict since then.
A fire services investigation continues into the cause and origin of the blaze.
