Fire crews are fighting a large structure fire at the College Inn off of Geist Road in west Fairbanks. The fire was first reported in a Nixle message from the Alaska State Troopers at 5:28 a.m. this morning, with residents being advised to stay clear of the area.
According to Kyle Green, the University fire Marshall, they don't know what caused the fire and no injuries have been reported.
According to sources there have been people staying in the structure but they have not been able to enter the building because the fire is still burning.
A large amount of smoke can be seen from Geist Road and at 7:30 a.m. open flames were still visible from outside of the building. The inn itself, located at 700 Fairbanks St., has been closed for business for over a year.
Although access to the post office and Holiday Gas station are cut off, the structures themselves do not seem to be in danger.
The area is still heavily surrounded by police and fire crews, who appear to be in control of the fire.