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A historic hotel in Vinton County has been damaged after a fire

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MCARTHUR, Ohio (WOUB) UPDATE 2:53 p.m. 7/8/25 — Investigators are looking into the cause of a fire at the historic Hotel McArthur in Vinton County.

Reports indicated the fire broke out sometime before 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Firefighters contained the blaze by 1 p.m, but not before it destroyed the roof and second floor, according to the Vinton County Emergency Management Agency. The first floor and the basement also suffered damage.

“Obviously the extent is pretty major, but we won’t know exactly [yet],” McArthur Fire Department Lieutenant Evan Knox said. “It’s going to need some extensive work.”

The Hotel McArthur is the oldest building still in use in Vinton County and was undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation. The plan, according to the Vinton County Visitors Bureau, was to remove remodeling efforts from the 70s through the 90s and restore the hotel to look as it would have in 1840-1940.

Firefighters on ladders work to put out a fire at the Hotel McArthur in Vinton County.
Firefighters work to put out a fire at the Hotel McArthur on Main Street in McArthur on July 8, 2025. [Joshua Hoerner | WOUB]
Vinton County Emergency Management Agency Director Bill Faught said Main Street would reopen after the streets were cleared.

“Avoid the direct downtown area,” Faught said. “We’ve still got all the roads blocked off. There’s going to be a lot of side streets that have a lot more traffic than normal.”

No one has reportedly been injured, according to officials on the scene.

Multiple department from around the are responded to the fire.

This is a developing story and more information will be provided as it comes in.