MONROE COUNTY, PA – Around 8:30 AM on Wednesday, February 3 Monroe County 9-1-1 dispatched units to the Blakeslee Inn & Restaurant on Route 940 in Tobyhanna Township for a commercial fire alarm.  Soon after, reports of a commercial structure fire began to come in to 9-1-1.

Crews arrived on the scene to find a working fire in a large motel with restaurants inside. Extra assistance was immediately requested into the scene.  Firefighters throughout Monroe County were brought in as well as crews from Carbon, Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties.

Tobyhanna Township Ladder 2 was on the scene in the front of the building using an elevated master stream while Lake Harmony Ladder 17 was set up in the rear. Tobyhanna Township Rescue 3 was the primary engine on the “C” side of the building pulling a draft from two portable ponds.  Albrightsville Rescue 1651 was the primary engine supplying Ladder 2 while White Haven Engine was also drafting out of ponds in the front of the building and supplied an elevated master stream on Freeland Ladder 136 who was also set up on the “A” side.

At the height of the fire, crews on scene had their efforts hampered by very strong winds and torrential downpours.  The fire continued to rip through the building and spread throughout the unburned portions as crews had a hard time sustaining water levels for all streams.  A tanker task force was requested out of Luzerne County and before 1:00 PM, the fire was brought under control.

The equivalent of 6 or 7 alarms were called in to the scene including 25 tankers from the area. A State Police Fire Marshal was requested to the scene to aid in the investigation while heavy equipment was brought in to help demolish the building and extinguish hidden fire.  Local news reports one firefighter was transported to the hospital for a minor injury.

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