Around 8:30 a.m. the call went out for a structure fire at 200 Route 940 in Blakeslee. The Blakeslee Inn was soon a fully involved structure fire.

As fire companies from Monroe, Carbon, Lackawanna and Luzerne counties arrived, flames could be seen reaching up from the rear of the center section of the building. The billowing black smoke was visible for miles as people approached Blakeslee Corners.By 9 a.m. Route 940 was closed from Route 115 to Moseywood Road. Traffic was routed down Route 80 to Exit 277. Other traffic detoured on Moseywood Road, through Split Rock Resort and then along South Lake Drive.The heavy traffic along South Lake Drive caused some concern to the tanker trucks serving the fire companies since many of the tankers are directed to the pump which draws water from Lake Harmony.The pump head is located right by Nick's Lake House on a curve in the road. Even with the stop sign located at the top of the hill, the tankers had to deal with traffic moving too fast through the area.After complaints from the tanker crews, a call for local police assistance went out on the scanner.After dumping truckload after truckload of water from three ladder trucks onto the middle section of the building the firefighters were starting to wrap up by 2 in the afternoon.Fire companies from four counties were called to battle the blaze.The section which was destroyed housed the reception area, front offices and the restaurant and kitchen. The first two sections of hotel rooms on the east and west side of the reception area were also destroyed by the fire."Thankfully, no one was injured, and that is the most important thing," said Brandon Igdalsky, president and CEO, of Pocono Raceway, owner of the property."We'd like to thank all of the firefighters, volunteers, and first responders for their hard work. We are still assessing the damage and learning more. We ask for patience from our loyal patrons as we consider our next steps."A Pocono Raceway truck arrived on the scene with temporary fencing by 2:45 p.m.The road was reopened late in the afternoon. By 5:30 p.m. flood lights had been delivered and parts of the building were already in the process of being demolished.The Blakeslee Inn posted a statement Wednesday evening, "The entire Blakeslee Inn staff would like to thank all of our loyal customers, community and media partners for their outpouring of support. … We are most grateful for the bravery and tenacity of the many first responders that worked valiantly in extreme conditions to battle the blaze."The high-scale restaurant was known for its attention to detail.The establishment was known for its quality food and mixed drinks.A vodka tasting class was scheduled this week, as was a Super Bowl party for Sunday."Aside from the loss of our beloved Blakeslee Inn, we are saddened that we will not be able to serve our patrons and guests in the coming weeks," the inn management said.