Firefighters battle blaze that partly collapses America’s Best Value Inn in Lawrence

Firefighters responding to billowing smoke at a Lawrence motel found themselves working to stop a blaze that took hours to extinguish on Monday afternoon.

Lawrence Fire Department responded to the call to America’s Best Value Inn shortly before noon Monday.

Smoke had filled the motel after a fire broke out in the basement, according to reports.

The motel, at 6th Street and Iowa, was evacuated. There were no reports of injuries.

By later Monday afternoon, flames had spread to the top floor and were shooting through the roof.

Firefighters set up a collapse zone and made an early decision to fight the fire from the outside.

Emergency crews were still responding to the fire at 6 p.m. on Monday.

This story was originally published January 15, 2018 at 5:51 PM with the headline "Firefighters battle blaze that partly collapses America’s Best Value Inn in Lawrence."