Photos: Pioneer Hotel fire in downtown Tucson, 1970
The Pioneer Hotel fire in downtown Tucson on Dec. 20, 1970, resulted in 29 deaths.
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
Tucson firefighers apply a steady stream of water during the Pioneer Hotel fire in Dec. 1970. Tucson's firefighting equipment was ruled inadequate following this fire when they were unable to aid many trapped on the higher floors.
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
Victims are removed from the front the entrance to the Pioneer Hotel in Dec. 1970.
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
A firefighter sprays water on windows of the upper floors of the Pioneer Hotel fire on Dec. 20, 1970.
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
A injured firefighter is wheeled to an ambulance at the Pioneer Hotel fire on Dec. 20, 1970.
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
Firefighters on an old Tucson Fire ladder truck help a woman down from the upper floors during the Pioneer Hotel fire on Dec. 20, 1970.
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
A man stands at the window on one of the upper floors of the Pioneer Hotel fire on Dec. 20, 1970, as the fire rages above.
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
A firefighter helps an unidentified man after plucking him from a room near the top of the Pioneer International Hotel which caught fire early in Dec. 1970.
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
People in downtown Tucson gaze up at the Pioneer Hotel the morning after the deadly fire in Dec. 1970.
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
People in downtown Tucson gaze up at the Pioneer Hotel the morning after the deadly fire in Dec. 1970.
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
Flames and smoke shoot from the windows in the upper floors during the Pioneer Hotel fire in Dec. 1970.
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
Flames and smoke shoot from the windows in the upper floors as firefighters extend the ladder to save those below during the Pioneer Hotel fire in Dec. 1970.
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
Victims are removed from the front entrance to the Pioneer Hotel in Dec. 1970.
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
Victims are removed from the front entrance to the Pioneer Hotel in Dec. 1970.
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
The Pioneer Hotel never recovered from the 1970 fire, said Bettina Lyons, niece of the couple who owned the hotel. "Even though they put money into it and put sprinkler systems in, people did not come to stay."
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
Pioneer Hotel Fire
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
Tucson firefighters climb a ladder at the Pioneer Hotel Fire in 1970. Courtesy of Tucson Fire Department
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
Smoke billows from the upper floor of the Pioneer International Hotel as three firemen work to rescue survivors of the early-morning blaze. The firemen at the bottom is helping an elderly Pioneer tenant to walk down the ladder.
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
Fireman help the injured at the Pioneer Hotel blaze in Dec. 1970.
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
A hotel patron is helped down the ladder to safety during the Pioneer Hotel Fire in Dec. 1970.
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
The aftermath of the Pioneer Hotel Fire in Dec. 1970.
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
Funeral of victims of the Pioneer Hotel Fire in Dec. 1970.
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
Aftermath of the Pioneer Hotel Fire in Dec. 1970.
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
Aftermath of the Pioneer Hotel Fire in Dec. 1970.
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
Aftermath of the Pioneer Hotel in Dec. 1970.
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
The Pioneer Hotel in 1963.
Pioneer Hotel fire in Tucson
The Pioneer Hotel, foreground left, on Stone Ave. on Nov. 10, 1971, nearly a year after the devastating fire that left 29 dead.
Rick Wiley
Photo editor
The unpaid connection fees date back a quarter century.
Holualoa Companies and SinfoníaRx unveiled the results of their year-long effort to restore the Pioneer Hotel Dining Room at Stone Ave. and Pe…
Louis Taylor spent 42 years in prison on 28 arson-related murder counts that were later vacated.