Fire strikes unoccupied motel in Taunton; investigation underway

By Melissa Werthmann, Globe Correspondent

Fire officials are investigating a small blaze that broke out at an unoccupied motel in Taunton Tuesday night.

A passerby saw smoke billowing from a motel on Route 44 in Taunton at 9:30 p.m. and called 911, said Deputy Fire Chief Michael Sylvia.

“There was heavy smoke showing on arrival,” Sylvia said. “No visible fire.”

The fire was in one of the motel’s three buildings, each of which contains two units, Sylvia said.

The building is about 24 by 14 feet, he said. Each unit is a large open room with a small bathroom and closet.

Firefighters extinguished the one-alarm fire within 15 to 20 minutes, Sylvia said.

The owners of the motel are not currently renting the units and all the buildings were unoccupied at the time of the fire, he said.

There were no working smoke alarms and no electricity hooked up to the motel, Sylvia said.

The fire caused minimal damage to the interior and exterior of the building, he said.

The cause of the fire is undetermined and remains under investigation by the state fire marshal and the Taunton police and fire departments.