60-year-old employee believed responsible for Siena Hotel fire found dead inside, police say

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) -- The man believed to be responsible for a fire at a Chapel Hill hotel was found dead inside the building, the police chief said Friday afternoon.

Around 4:30 a.m., the Chapel Hill Fire Department responded to a fire alarm at The Siena Hotel on East Franklin Street, evacuating about 50 people from the building. There were no reported injuries among the guests.

Authorities said the man believed to be responsible for the fire, 60-year-old Randall Moore Bullock of Chapel Hill, was found dead inside the hotel.

According to police, Bullock was an employee at the hotel.

Witness video shared with ABC11 captured the fire that broke out inside the building.

One person had to be rescued from a balcony; however, all 50 guests made it out of the building safely.

"There was a broom handle stuck in the door handle to prevent the doors from opening and closing," said hotel guest Tom Hadziyianis. "I personally thought it had been placed there to prevent anyone from trying to get back in. Now, with all these rumors going on, it seems inconceivable that it would be the case. It was done intentionally. We got outside, and there was a huge fire in the elevator shaft. It was a pretty big fire."

Police said Bullock lived down the street, less than a mile from the hotel.

Neighbors told ABC11 they saw officers outside Bullock's home earlier in the day searching it. One neighbor said he saw some of the displaced hotel guests getting coffee after the fire, and had no idea the suspect lived down the street.

"I heard the guys talking to each other, like, trying to piece together what they had seen," he said. "I heard people saying they saw smoke or saw fire and stuff, but yeah, at the time, nobody really knew what was going on."

Some neighbors said Bullock seemed reclusive and had been living there alone for a long time, while others had no idea anyone lived in the home due to its condition.

"The house looks a little abandoned, I guess. I've never seen anybody go in and out before," one neighbor said.