5 West Virginia Fire Departments Respond to Blaze, Motel Evacuated

A five-alarm fire is blamed for snarling traffic for eastbound commuters driving into Charleston, W. Va. Wednesday.

All four lanes of U.S. Route 60 in the Kanawha County community of Jefferson were blocked by firefighting equipment Wednesday morning. As rush hour motorists detoured to Interstate 64, traffic on that route was slowed.

The fire broke out sometime before 3 a.m. at Smiley’s Restaurant and Lounge and spread into an adjacent motel, which had to be evacuated.

No injuries were reported.

Jefferson Fire Chief Mark Ford estimates the fire had been smoldering in the back of the restaurant some time before his department was notified. The building was fully engulfed by the time crews arrived.

Five fire departments responded.
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Information from: WCHS-TV, http://www.wchstv.com

Information from: The State Journal, http://www.statejournal.com