Joliet man charged with arson in Fenton’s Motel fire

A Joliet man has been accused of igniting a fire Feb. 19 at a motel that caused a 45-year-old man to suffer burns to his legs and right hand, police said.

About 9:30 p.m. Monday, John Welsh, 42, was taken to the Will County jail on charges of aggravated arson, arson and criminal damage to Fenton’s Motel, 2305 W. Jefferson St., Joliet.

At 8:55 a.m. Feb. 19, officers responded to a report of smoke coming from the motel, Joliet police Sgt. Dwayne English said.

Once the officers saw that a guest room was fully engulfed in flames, they had the other guests leave their rooms, English said.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze in the guest room.

A 45-year-old man from University Park had been renting the guest room, and he was awakened by the fire, English said.

The man left the room, notified staff, and he was taken to Ascension Saint Jospeh – Joliet hospital with burns to his legs and right hand, English said.

The investigation led to police identifying Welsh as a suspect, English said.

Welsh was staying in the room next to the room that was damaged in the fire, English said. Information from interviews and video surveillance led detectives to determine that Welsh was responsible for causing the fire, English said.