Man accused of arson, stealing sprinkler gear

POMPANO BEACH – A 26-year-old Pompano Beach man is accused of lighting a fire inside a hotel supply room and then taking the sprinkler equipment that’s needed to fight the blaze.

William Eyford is facing charges of arson and theft.

According to a Broward Sheriff’s Office arrest report, Eyford went into a laundry room at the Sands Harbor Resort & Marina, at 125 N. Riverside Dr., in Pompano Beach, about 7:30 p.m. Monday.

The unlocked laundry room is for employees only, but Eyford went inside, bundled up some bed sheets, and used a lighter to ignite them, the report stated.

Two employees smelled the smoke and followed the scent to the laundry room where they found Eyford crouched in a corner about two feet from the burning sheets with a blue cigarette lighter in his hand, investigators said.

As they tried to put out the flames, Eyford ran out. One employee managed to take a picture of Eyford before he disappeared.

Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies saw the picture, searched the area, and found Eyford in the 500 block of N. Riverside Drive. He was carrying a lighter, two sprinkler heads and a wrench, investigators said.

The hotel employees later identified Eyford as the man they saw in the laundry room.

During questioning, Eyford admitted to being at the hotel, starting the fire, and taking the sprinkler equipment, detectives said.

Initial damage estimates ranged from $200 to $500 but there was no structural damage to the hotel that remains open for business, said resort general manager Matthew Dooley.

“We’re very grateful for the quick reaction of our [employees],” he said. “We’re fortunate enough to have minimized any affect from the incident.”

Dooley has no idea what may have prompted the incident, but he said Eyford has eaten at the resort’s patio restaurant and had drinks at the bar in the past.

Eyford is charged with arson, burglary and tampering with firefighting equipment, records show.

At Eyford’s first court appearance Tuesday, assistant state attorney Eric Linder recommended a $100,000 bond amount.

“It’s not just setting a fire in a hotel resort that’s occupied,” he said. “He’s setting a fire in this place and actively removing equipment that would be used to put out said fire. Who knows what can happen if a fire like this gets out of control, putting everyones’ lives at that hotel in jeopardy.”

Bond was set at $42,500 and Eyford was released from the Broward County Jail on Wednesday, records show.

Eyford