GAYLORD -- A fire early Tuesday evening has destroyed a portion of an Otsego County motel.

Crews were called out at 5:10 p.m. to the Brentwood Motel on West Johnson Road in Gaylord.

"The residence portion of the motel and the garage was fully engulfed as was the car parked out in front of the garage," said Chief Dave Duffield of the Otsego County Fire Dept.

It took crews from six departments, including Frederic Township Fire Department in Crawford County, nearly an hour to knock down the fire. Duffield says the fire appeared to be primarily concentrated in the garage area but as the winds began to whip up it pushed the flames out quickly, destroying the connecting residence portion of the motel and two adjoining guest rooms.

"The fire got up into the attic above the motel and it made its way through one fire stop but it was blocked by a second fire stop up in the attic," Duffield said.

At the time of the fire the owner was the only person on the premises although there was a guest booked in one of the rooms. Duffield says the owner did make it out okay.

Duffield adds that a fire fighter was transported to Otsego Memorial Hospital for observation after experiencing difficulty breathing.

It is not yet known how the fire may have started, but the state fire marshal is expected to be on the scene at a later time to investigate.

The Salvation Army is providing assistance to the motel owner with vouchers for clothing and other personal items. The director of the Salvation Army says assistance offered for temporary housing was declined by the owner, however electricity and gas services have been cut off to the motel for the time being.