Fire which broke out about 11 am Sunday resulted in extensive damage to the kitchen and dining room of Motel Marion Coffee shop, and threatened to spread to the adjoining rooms of the motel.

Firemen, who battled the flames for two hours, succeeded in stopping the blaze in the attic of the Coffee Shop before it could not spread to the motel rooms under the same roof. Actual fire damage was confined to the kitchen and the attic, but the main dining room and the Pine room suffered severe water damage.

There was some smoke damage to the rooms in the west wing of the motel. Water poured into the blazing attic from two pumper trucks poured into the dining room and stood several inches deep on the floor. No estimate of the damage was available Monday.

The fire started over a stove in the kitchen located between the main dining room and the Pine room. It burned rapidly through the ceiling into the attic where it was spread by the draft from a large exhaust vent from the kitchen.

When firemen arrived the attic was a roaring inferno and flames and smoke poured from vents in the attic walls. Water was poured into the attic through holes cut in the roof.

The Coffee Shop connected with the motel owned by Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Thurmond was operated by Mr. and Mrs. Gene Schnierle of Harrisburg who took over the management June 16.

Firemen who fought the flames remained as guests of the management to share the Sunday dinner which was being prepared when the fire broke out. They were Fire Chief Herman May and Fireman Lonnie Dungey, Harvey Russell, Jack Whiting and John McIntosh.

(Extracted  from local newspapers and compiled by Harry Boyd, posted at http://www.marionfire.us )