On New Year's Eve, December 31, 1986, three disgruntled employees at the Dupont Plaza Hotel (now San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, intentionally set a fire. The employees (Héctor Escudero, Armando Jiménez, and José Rivera) were involved in a labor dispute with the owners. The fire killed between 96 and 98 people and injured 140 others. It is the most catastrophic hotel fire in Puerto Rican history and the second deadliest hotel fire in U.S. territory in history, after the Winecoff Hotel fire in Atlanta in 1946.^[2]

The Dupont Plaza Hotel opened in 1963 as the Puerto Rico-Sheraton and was operated by the Sheraton hotel company until 1980, just before Sheraton imposed significant fire-safety measures in its hotels throughout the world in 1981.^[3] Before national fire safety requirements were enacted in 1990, most hotels had implemented fire safety measures based on local regulations and ordinances, which in some localities were lax, despite frequent fires and fire-related deathsat American hotels.^[3] In 1985, there had been 7,500 reported fires in hotels and motels across the U.S., with 85 deaths and $56 million in damages (equivalent to $132 million in 2023).^[3]

In June 1985, the Dupont Plaza was inspected by the local fire department and was found to have deficiencies in its safety systems, including malfunctioning equipment and lack of evacuation and emergency plans.^[4] The fire sprinkler system, which was not criticized in the fire department's report,^[4] was not automated, as it was in 95% of hotels across the U.S. at that time.^[5]