A well-known Midway business was damaged early Tuesday morning. The Midway Motel, which has been in operation for more than 30 years in the 200 block of North Coastal Highway, was damaged by a fire that gutted the living and operating section of the motel, Midway Fire and Rescue Chief Terrell Chipp said. No one was hurt.

 The fire, initially investigated by Midway Police Officer Russell Knox, reportedly began shortly after 5:30 a.m. and grew when electrical wires in a panel inside a closet began to burn. Chipp said firefighters attempted to cut a hole in the wall to douse the flames, but the fire spread rapidly through the wooden, single-story structure, which was occupied by the owner, Chiral Patel, and his family. The family evacuated and was not harmed. 

“Once the fire began to spread, we started to back out for safety measures because of the live electricity in the building,” Chipp said. 

After Georgia Power was called to cut off power to the building, firefighters sprayed water from their engines over the flames, but within 20 minutes, the blaze shot through the motel’s roof. Chipp said all firefighting was done from outside the building since it was unstable.   

It took firefighters more than two hours to get the fire under control. Units from Riceboro, Lake George, Eastern District and Midway responded. Liberty County American Red Cross Disaster Action Team volunteers provided canteen support for the firefighters, according to Red Cross public information officer Esther Sheppard. The organization also provided financial assistance for one family.