UPDATE: Fire destroys part of Avon Motel

A late morning fire has just about destroyed the north side of Avon Motel and several outbuildings and may have damaged a residence on Highway 12 in Avon.

The fire was reported about 11:40 this morning.  The Avon Volunteer Fire Department responded, along with engines from Buxton, Salvo, and Frisco and firefighters from Chicamacomico Banks and Hatteras Village.

Richard Marlin, Frisco fire chief, reported this morning that about 100 firefighters were probably on the scene.

“Pretty much the whole island is there,” Marlin said this morning when he was on the way in an engine from Frisco.

The fire was under control by about 2 p.m., but still burning about 3:15. Marlin said that getting enough water to the blaze had been a problem for the firefighters.

Also on the scene were the Hatteras Island Rescue Squad, Dare County Emergency Services, and the Dare County Sheriff’s Office.

Two firefighters were treated by EMS medics on the scene for smoke inhalation, Marlin said, but there had been no other injuries. The Rescue Squad was providing “R and R” for firefighters who were also fighting the day’s unseasonably high temperatures and humidity.

Highway 12 was closed for a time after the fire was reported, but was open for one lane of traffic later in the day.

By about 3:30, some of the engines from other villages were being sent back to their stations, while Avon VFD remained in control.