A long-vacant motel was heavily damaged by fire on Sunday morning.
The Christiana Fire Company reported in a social media post that the fire broke out at around 5 a.m Sunday at the former Country Inn off Churchmans Road.
The inn in the area near ChristianaCare’s campus and Delaware Park was part of hotel building boom decades ago. It was one of the newer inns in that area but had been vacant for years.
The fire company reported that the hotel had a long history of incidents since the property went out of business with squatters getting into the building with barriers erected to keep them out. Even so, individuals appeared to use ladders to enter the rooms.
Christiana Fire reported it had taken steps to prepare for a fire at the inn, given its past problems. The barriers made fighting the blaze more difficult. Nearby fire companies also assisted, , according to the fire company.
No one was injured and no one was found in a search of the more than 60 rooms on the property.
The state Fire Marshal’s office is investigating the blaze.
