SAN JUAN — 1986 · Major Tragedy

The Dupont Plaza Hotel Fire

SolvedSources: ALast updated: 14 October 2026

On the afternoon of 31 December 1986, at the Dupont Plaza hotel and casino in San Juan's Condado district, a fire set in a storeroom by three union workers involved in a wage dispute with management spread rapidly into the lobby and casino. In the hotel, busy on New Year's Eve, 97 people died, most from smoke, and more than 140 were injured. An investigation by the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) established the fire was deliberate. The three workers were tried and received long prison sentences. It remains the deadliest hotel fire in Puerto Rico's history and changed fire-safety regulations.

Date: 1986
Place: Condado, San Juan, Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR
Category: Major Tragedy
Case Status: Solved
Coordinates: 18.4580, -66.0760 ↗

Timeline of Events

31 December 1986A deliberately set fire spread rapidly through the hotel.
January 1987The ATF determined the fire was arson.
1987-1988Three workers were tried and received long prison sentences.

Sources

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