Ellicott, N.Y. (WBEN) - An early morning fire along Fairmont Avenue in the Town of Ellicott on Tuesday has destroyed a local motel.
It was around 5:30 a.m. ET when the first call was dispatched of a fire at the Colony Motel. Officials say when they arrived at the scene, they found a significant amount of fire in the back end of the building.
"Unfortunately, it resulted in a significant amount of extension into the second story, and then also extended out into the first story sections," said Celeron Hose Co. Chief Jamison Justham on Tuesday.
According to Chief Justham, a total of 15 people have been displaced by the fire, and have been turned over to the Red Cross and Salvation Army.
A total of four people were transported to UPMC Chautauqua Hospital for further evaluation, two of which were local firefighters battling the blaze.
In addition, Chief Justham said there was an early report of one entrapment upon arrival, but that individual was located safe and sound.
While the fire was deemed under control at around 9:30 a.m. ET, Chief Justham says there's still significant fire operations going on.
"We're working with the Town of Ellicott and the Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office's Fire Investigation Team in order to determine cause and origin. That investigation will remain open until further notice," he said.
Fairmont Avenue remained closed for a large portion of the day near the motel, as fire officials continued to work in-and-around the blaze.
As of 1 p.m. ET, an emergency structural demolition was ordered by the Town of Ellicott.
Chief Justham said crews would continue to see if they can get better access to the back of the building to try and uncover more reasonings for the fire.
"Unfortunately, we've had a partial collapse, which resulted in some difficulties in accessing some hotspots," he said. "We're working with the ladder trucks out front, and then once we're able to knock down a significant amount of it, we're going to try and pull some of the metal roof away, and then continue extinguishing from the rear facility."
The initial response to the blaze came from the Celeron Village Fire Department, as well as fire companies from Lakewood and Busti, and then some assistance coming from Jamestown Fire.
The investigation into the fire remains ongoing.