Jacksonville fire marshal: Hotel RITUAL caught on fire due to electrical issue

Published 10:48 am Friday, June 17, 2022

Several agencies work to put out a fire at Hotel Ritual & Wellness Center in Jacksonville on Sunday.

A fire that caused significant damage to a historic structure in Jacksonville earlier this week was caused by an electrical issue, officials said on Friday morning.

The Hotel RITUAL, built in 1932 originally as a single-family home and later renovated as hotel, was up in flames around 1 p.m. Sunday when the Jacksonville Fire Department responded to the scene.

The Jacksonville Fire Marshal’s Office this week has been investigating the area of where the fire started to determine the cause.

“Due to evidence including fire patterns, witness and firefighter interviews, The Jacksonville Fire Marshal’s Office believes that the fire started in the basement of Hotel Ritual, due to an electrical issue,” the JFD said in a press release. “We have no reason to believe that this fire was intentionally caused.

“We would also like to thank the public for their thoughts and prayers for our firefighters and those impacted by this incident. We are glad to report that the injured firefighters are recovering well and are expecting full recovery.”



The hotel boasted 4,641 square feet with six bedroom and five bathrooms, according to real estate documents.

Current owner Whitney Graham purchased the property in 2019 then turned it into an upscale hotel and day spa which quickly grew in popularity.

Seven departments responded to the fire in addition to the Jacksonville Fire Department.