It was an all-hands call for the Collingwood Fire Department this morning after a passing motorist noticed smoke coming from a building on Beachwood Road.
Deputy Fire Chief Stephen Emo confirmed there was a 911 call at 5:25 a.m. this morning (May 29) reporting a fire on the Collingwood Motel property at the east end of town.
Fire crews arrived to flames burning through the roof of the building and used an aerial truck to hit the fire with water from above.
The fire was contained to the restaurant building in front of the motel, and nobody was inside at the time. Emo said the motel was not damaged by the fire.
Collingwood OPP officers and town public works staff helped control traffic and closed the road while fire crews worked on the blaze. Emo said it was under control within an hour.
There were, however, some issues with motorists driving past the scene and over fire hoses. Since the hydrants are on the north side of the street and the fire was on the south side, the hoses ran across Beachwood to supply fire trucks.
"If you see fire hoses on the road, under no circumstances drive over them," urged Emo.
The building burned long enough to sustain heavy damage, including a roof collapse, making the building unsafe to enter at this time.
The cause of the fire is unknown and Emo said the Ontario Fire Marshal's office has been notified of the incident.