Fire at Rainbow Motel in Whately leaves 17 without a home

WHATELY — A fire at the Rainbow Motel at 64 State Road shortly after midnight early Saturday morning has left 17 people without a home, though all of the residents in the building evacuated without getting hurt.

Whately Police officers were the first on the scene, where they reported that the fire was “fully involved,” Whately Fire Chief JP Kennedy wrote in a Facebook post. He said due to the heavy volume of fire, a defensive operation was initiated. Hand lines, ground monitors, and two aerials provided the necessary water to stop the fire from spreading to six of the 16 units, but the 10 other units were destroyed.

Firefighters from 10 surrounding communities responded to the scene, none of whom were injured, Kennedy said.

“Please keep the Patel family and all of the displaced residents of the rainbow motel in your thoughts as they work through this difficult time,” Kennedy said.

The fire remains under investigation.