Stop 06 of 8
Pioneer Hotel
December 20, 1970. A Christmas party. A fire. 28 lives.
The History
Built in 1929, the Pioneer International Hotel was one of downtown Tucson's busiest and most iconic venues. Its twelve stories towered over the other buildings, and the Pioneer was a favorite for office parties, family gatherings, and holiday festivities.
On Sunday, December 20, 1970, Hughes Aircraft was hosting its annual Christmas party for hundreds of employees and guests. Several other parties and overnight guests filled the hotel. Past midnight, a fire broke out on the fourth floor. The hotel had no sprinkler system and no fire doors at the stairwells. The flames spread with what witnesses called "inconceivable speed" to the top floor. An all-city fire response was called.
Firefighters arrived to see people hanging from windows, screaming, shimmying down bed sheets. Their ladders did not reach the top floors. One woman jumped from the seventh floor before the trucks arrived. Two others followed. Those on the lower floors escaped, but many on the upper floors were trapped. In total, 28 people died, including the hotel owner and his wife in the penthouse apartment. At least as many were injured, including firefighters.
A 14-year-old with a troubled past was charged with setting the fire after witnesses placed him on the fourth floor. He was convicted. Investigators speculated he set the fire to drive guests from their rooms so he could rob them.
The Hauntings
Even after rebuilding and refurbishing, the horror of that night had tarred the Pioneer's reputation. It was eventually converted into an office building. The hauntings are well-documented: the sound of running footsteps on the upper floors, murmurings and shrieks in empty rooms, the smell of smoke (especially on the upper floors and in the stairwells), and the rare apparition of a person running wildly through an upper hallway.
Office staff say they avoid working late, especially during the winter months, because the sounds intensify. A Pima Community College professor of Paranormal Psychology investigated the building at night using specialized equipment and captured the sound of running footsteps on a floor where no other investigators were present.
This is stop 06 of 8 on the full tour route. The tour covers all of them in 90 minutes.
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