Welcome Inn fire under investigation, main lobby building likely a total loss

QUINCY — The Quincy Fire Department responded to a call at the vacant Welcome Inn at 200 Maine early Tuesday morning.

At 2:20 a.m., the first crews arrived and saw fire coming from the roof of the main lobby building. A third alarm was called, bringing all on-duty crews to the fire scene and calling in off-duty personnel to man reserve apparatus in the event another incident should occur.

Engine Company 2 set up its ladder in the east parking lot and applied water to the fire coming through the roof. The next crew arrived a minute later, followed by the third crew one minute after that. The third crew connected a hydrant supply hose to Engine Company 2, and the second crew advanced a hose line into the building to extinguish the fire from inside.

The remaining on-duty crews arrived a few minutes later and set up the aerial platform truck in the west parking lot to apply water to the fire coming from the roof as well. Interior crews extinguished the main body of the fire on the main level but could not get to the fire within the ceiling. Fire continued to burn from the roof so the interior crew was pulled out.

For the rest of the incident, crews continued fighting the fire from the exterior as the roof and part of a wall began to collapse. Ameren Gas and Electric were on scene to confirm the building did not have utilities at the time of the fire. As the fire was controlled, most crews were released from the scene.

Two crews remained on scene as of 8 a.m. Tuesday to continue the exterior firefight.

Quincy Police shut down Maine Street between Second and Third Streets and Third Street south of Maine to protect supply hose lines in the streets. Later in the incident, hose lines were rerouted to allow those streets to open.

Adams County Ambulance Service was on scene to standby in case it was needed. The QFD Volunteer Rehab Team also responded to assist firefighters in recovering during their breaks in operations. No civilians or firefighters were injured at the scene. QFD Cause & Origin investigators is working with QPD investigators later Tuesday morning to determine a cause for the fire. This building had been vacant for some time and is likely a total loss.

Seventeen firefighters were on the scene from four engines, a quint, the assistant chief and the fire chief.