Man charged with arson of Bloomington hotel

A man has been charged with intentionally setting a fire at a Bloomington hotel last week.

Tony Dean Boos, 43, from Burnsville, is charged with first-degree arson for allegedly starting a fire at a Super 8 on Friday.

Police and firefighters were called to the Super 8 located just off of Interstate 494 and Nicollet Avenue shortly after 5 a.m. on a report of a fire.

RELATED: No injuries reported during early morning fire at Bloomington hotel

When crews arrived, they were told about a fire on the third floor and staff reported a chemical smell, a criminal complaint states.

As officers cleared guests out of the hotel, an officer saw Boos nearly naked in the hallway. The complaint states the officer recognized Boos because he’d stopped a vehicle Boos was in earlier that morning.

Officers later found Boos inside another hotel room covered in a lubricant, possibly oil, the complaint adds, and staff told officers that the room where smoke was coming from was a room Boos had been staying in until he complained and got moved to another room.

Inside Boos’ initial room, crews found a bedsheet was apparently set on fire and the sprinklers and smoke detector were covered with plastic and towels.

Boos was arrested and is now scheduled to make his first court appearance Tuesday afternoon.

First-degree arson carries a penalty of up to 20 years in jail and a $20,000 fine, if convicted.