Hot pants lead to motel evacuation

The Westerner Hotel was evacuated early Sunday after a pair of boxer shorts left to dry in a microwave set off plume of smoke.

According to reports, firefighters and deputies were called to the Westerner at 1353 Highway 395, Gardnerville, at 3:15 a.m. after smoke was observed in the southeast corner of the motel.

Deputies awoke residents and safely evacuated the building.

Firefighters traced the origin to the laundry room where they found a pair of blue boxer shorts smoldering in a towel.

The motel manager directed deputies to Curtis Cloud, 21, who was staying in room 27.

The deputy entered the smoke-filled room to look for occupants and discovered multiple empty beer bottles and a hypodermic needle on the floor.

According to reports, Cloud approached the deputy and appeared to be hallucinating, inquiring after his brother who died in July.

Cloud reportedly told the deputy he was a heroin addict and was experiencing delirium tremens and the effects of methamphetamine which Cloud admitted smoking two hours earlier.

He was taken to an urgent care center for medical clearance and cited on charges of possession of a hypodermic needle and possession of a controlled substance and paraphernalia.

He is to appear in East Fork Justice Court on Oct. 20.

Cloud told deputies that another guest in the room had been swimming and attempted to dry his boxer shorts in the microwave. When the shorts began smoking in the microwave, the man said he wrapped them in a towel and left them in the laundry room.

The guest reportedly admitted smoking marijuana.

The deputy said there appeared to be no intent to ignite the underwear, but had the man not been under the influence, his actions could have been prevented.

The case was referred to the district attorney's office for investigation.