More than 60 occupants have been evacuated from a hotel after hurricane force winds threatened the structural integrity of the building.
The 62, including an infant, many children and their pets, have been taken to the Jacksonville Center for Public Safety while a solution is sought for where they can stay. No one was found to be injured, nor were any of them injured in the transport.
About 12:45 AM, Jacksonville 9-1-1 received a call about damage to the Triangle Motor Inn at 246 Wilmington Hwy. A basketball sized hole was found in a corner room by an Officer. Firefighters later found life-threatening damage to the structure. Cinder blocks that were part of the structure were crumbling in some places and residents were still in many of the rooms.
Hurricane force winds were a challenge, and Police and Fire had to force their way into some rooms.
Portions of the roof were collapsed, allowing rain to flood some of the rooms.
Using a host of vehicles, Jacksonville Fire and Emergency Services transported many residents of the facility. Some drove their own vehicles with police escorts.
The occupants have been placed in a temporary space in the Center for Public Safety while work is underway to find shelter for the residents.