San Diego

A seven-year resident of the Sara Frances Hometel pleaded innocent Thursday to recklessly setting fire to the hotel with an unattended cigarette.

Reginald Milton Hughes, 45, appeared before San Diego Municipal Court Judge H. Ronald Domnitz, who set bail at $5,000. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Jan. 10.

Friday’s fire destroyed a third of the rooms of the downtown residential hotel, formerly called the Keystone Hotel.

“The danger to the community is apparent when he’s out of control with a cigarette,� said Deputy Dist. Atty. Chris Goldsmith to the judge, adding that Hughes was an alcoholic.

Domnitz cited Hughes’ failure to appear on several traffic cases as a reason to set bail. His attorney, Barry Shear, had suggested that a supervised release on his own recognizance would be appropriate.

Shear said Hughes’ psychiatrist told him that it was unlikely Hughes set the fire intentionally. The judge told the defense attorney to have the psychiatrist write a letter about Hughes to him and he would consider that at a bail review on Tuesday.

Five people suffered smoke inhalation at the 95-year-old hotel, but there were no deaths or serious injuries.