Fire damages motel in Old Orchard Beach

OLD ORCHARD BEACH – A fire swept through a 14-room motel on Wednesday, causing serious damage. No one was hurt.

The 14-room McNeil Motel on Imperial Street caught fire shortly after 4 p.m., starting in a bathroom ceiling fan in one of the motel’s rooms, owner Joanne LaPointe said.

“Someone came to get me because the ceiling fan in their bathroom was on fire. We sprayed it with the fire extinguisher, but from there it traveled through the ceiling and caught the whole building on fire,” she said.

The fire quickly spread to the roof and the rest of the structure, she said. Firefighters from Old Orchard Beach and surrounding towns responded to the scene.

Gloria Tripp, who lives a few hundred yards away on Wintergreen Street, said smoke enveloped the entire neighborhood.

Many neighbors went to check out the fire but Tripp stayed inside. “It’s so smoky. We’ve been trying to close the windows and keep the smoke out,” she said.