Historic Boise City Hotel Burns Down

One of the most well-known buildings in Boise City has burned.

Cimarron County Sheriff Kevin McIntire said fire consumed the Crystal Hotel at about 3:20 Sunday afternoon. As of 9:30 a.m., Monday, McIntire said fire crews were still battling visible flames.

The nearly 90-year-old hotel had been a fixture for Boise City’s Main Street. It had been closed for many years until the Crystal Steakhouse occupied the location. The steakhouse recently moved which left the building unoccupied.

“It’s a sad day because anytime you have a building that a landmark in your town, everyone who lives here has some memory of the building in their lifetime,” Sheriff McIntire said. “Anytime you lose a building like that, it’s sad for the local citizens.

The Crystal Hotel formerly was a stop for the Continental Bus Company and housed railroad crews.

Fire departments from across Cimarron County responded to the fire, including Boise City, Keyes and Griggs. Firefighters worked into the night but McIntire said the building started to fall into the basement. As that happened, authorities said it became difficult to get to the bottom of the fire.

“It is a complete loss,” McIntire said.

Just one injury was reported; a firefighter suffered minor heat exhaustion.

McIntire said an origin of the fire was not known and together with the State Fire Marshall’s Office, his department will launch an investigation.