The man believed to have started fires at a Chapel Hill hotel on Friday morning has been found dead.
Chapel Hill fire responded to a call at The Siena Hotel on E. Franklin Street around 4:30 a.m.
Chapel Hill police chief Celisa Lehew said the man investigators believe started the fire was found dead inside a room just after 12 p.m. Randall Moore Bullock was 60 years old and lived in Chapel Hill.
The extent of the damage at the hotel is unknown. The hotel was deemed safe on Friday afternoon.
Chapel Hill authorities say interviews and video footage showed someone running away from evacuation routes.
Around 6:30 a.m., police evacuated one barricaded person out of the building while the scene was still active. They said the person evacuated and the person suspected of starting the fire are not connected.
The person who was evacuated was not injured, and no other hotel guests were injured. Approximately 50 guests were safely evacuated.
East Franklin Street was closed between Estes Drive and Elliott Road for several hours before reopening Friday afternoon.
It’s unclear how the fire started and what Bullock’s motive was.
However, Chapel Hill police said Bullock worked at the hotel.
The hotel is minutes away from UNC’s campus and near popular shopping centers like University Place and Eastgate Crossing.
WRAL is working to learn more.
