SOUTH BEND — A longtime motel on South Bend's west side was destroyed early Monday when a fire tore through the structure.
The fire started at the Lincolnwood Motel at 3300 Lincolnway West about 4 a.m. and took several hours for firefighters to contain.
Although there were four or five people staying at the hotel, no injuries were reported.
The two-story structure is a total loss, South Bend Fire Capt. Federico Rodriguez said. Damage was estimated at $150,000 to the building and $100,000 on the contents.
The blaze is still under investigation.
“We’ll probably never know (the cause),” said Rodriguez, who added the investigation is still in its “very early stages.”
When firefighters arrived at the hotel, flames covered the roof.
“Police got here first and said that everybody was out, so it was too dangerous for us to even make entry at the time,” Battalion Chief Nick Tekler said.
