Firefighters from numerous departments were on scene at the 620 Fairmount Ave. establishment, which first opened in 1955 before expanding.

The blaze was first reported around 5:30 a.m., and flames could still be seen shooting from the roof on the eastern side of the structure.

Celoron Fire Chief Jamison Justham said more than a dozen occupants of the Colony Motel were able to safely make it out as flames spread from one section of the property to another. He said two residents were transported to UPMC Chautauqua for evaluation while two firefighters also received treatment.

Justham said the displaced occupants were being assisted by local organizations including the Red Cross and Salvation Army.

Firefighters from numerous departments responded Tuesday morning to the Colony Motel, 620 Fairmount Ave. A fire that broke out around 5:30 a.m. spread throughout much of the property, which first opened in 1955. P-J photos by Eric Tichy

Christopher Skuggen and Taylor O’Neil were both awakened shortly after the fire broke out. The two had rooms next to each other and were able to safely leave the property without injury, though their belongings were presumed to be destroyed.

Skuggen said it was a manager of the motel who woke him up around 5:30 a.m. alerting him to the blaze. He said he heard screaming and saw flames engulfing a rear section of the motel.

“My room was filled with smoke,” Skuggen told The Post-Journal. “It just kept going on and on from there. It was that top left corner (of the motel) was the worst spots. It just spread through the whole top quick, super quick.”

O’Neil, too, awoke to screaming.

“I heard a girl yelling, ‘Get out. There’s a fire.’ And I saw smoke coming from my vent in the bathroom just flooding into my room,” she said. “And I could smell it really bad.”

Firefighters from numerous departments responded Tuesday morning to the Colony Motel, 620 Fairmount Ave. A fire that broke out around 5:30 a.m. spread throughout much of the property, which first opened in 1955. P-J photos by Eric Tichy

A large portion of Fairmount Avenue near the scene was closed to vehicle traffic through the afternoon. Rows of fire engines lined the street in front of the Colony Motel.

“I’m very proud of the turnout we’ve had,” Justham said. “We’ve got a lot of departments here. Initially on the attack was Celoron, Lakewood, Busti, and we had some assistance coming from Jamestown fire, which we very much appreciate.”

As a result of the blaze, the property was slated for an emergency demolition.

“We’ve used a significant amount of water to extinguish the blaze,” Justham said.

County fire investigators were at the scene Tuesday and, in a news release, the Sheriff’s Office later said the blaze remained under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at 716-753-4231 or the Ellicott Police Department at 716-665-7083.

Due to the amount of water pulled from hydrants in the area, the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities said water customers will likely see stirred, discolored water for 12 to 24 hours.

Fire departments that assisted Celoron included Lakewood, Busti, Jamestown, Kennedy, Bemus Point, Fluvanna, Ashville, Falconer, Sherman, Panama, Frewsburg, among others. Ellicott police and the Sheriff’s Office also responded, as did Alstar EMS, Chautauqua County EMS and the BPU.

Chautauqua County had utilized the Colony Motel for temporary housing, one of a handful of locations in the south county. A spokesman confirmed that some of the people displaced were utilizing the motel for housing.

The Colony’s history dates back to the early 1950s when contractor John Erickson proposed construction of a 22-unit motel along Fairmount Avenue. Word of the project prompted the submission of five petitions containing100 names of residents in the immediate area opposed to a zoning change. Three petitions in support of the motel also were filed.

On a site located between Glidden and Merlin avenues, construction commenced in the summer of 1954. The motel opened in 1955 and further expanded to add more units shortly thereafter.

Two years after opening, in July 1957, Erickson and other members of Colony Motel Inc. sold the property to Robert Daly and his wife. The Dalys had a summer house at Point Chautauqua and, at the time of the purchase, they noted their desire to keep the motel and its popular dining room intact.

In February 1965, the motel was again sold, to Denis McAuliffe and Raymond Zutell.