Predawn Fire Destroys Kentucky Motel

GREENVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- A barking dog alerted people to a pre-dawn fire that destroyed a motel in this western Kentucky town.

All 20 rooms at the Greenville Inn were occupied when the fire broke out early Sunday. Firefighters were notified at 4:40 a.m. CDT, and five departments battled the blaze.

A dog owned by motel occupant Paula Bland began barking about 4:40 a.m., and Bland noticed smoke coming through the motel awning and vents, said Greenville fire chief Jerry Aders.

Bland knocked on doors to wake up other guests, he said.

Fire investigators pinpointed the location where the blaze is believed to have started, Aders said. Investigators were to continue picking through the charred debris to search for a cause, he said.