SOUTH POINT - A blaze that appeared to begin in the kitchen of South Point's Grandview Inn and Suites continued to burn this morning as firefighters from several county departments did their best to extinguish it.

"We have multiple units here and we are fully involved," Chesapeake Fire Department. Assistant Chief Ed Webb said. "We are making some progress, but it's slow."

Tom Pauley lives just a few feet from the Grandview Inn, and said he saw the fire at approximately 7 a.m., even before the staff was aware that the kitchen area of their business was on fire.

"Me and a couple of neighbors started knocking on doors, trying to get people out of the building," Pauley said. "Somebody had to go around front and (the staff) were still at the desk working. They didn't realize it was on fire."

Pauley, a former firefighter with Perry Township, said that the building lacked some key fire prevention elements.

"They don't have an active sprinkler system here," Pauley said. "They also don't have hydrants because of the waterline set up.

A shortage of water was one of the factors that led the South Point firefighters to require the aid of several fire departments including Ironton, Coal Grove, Union, Upper Township, Burlington, Proctorville, Fayette, Perry and others.

The fire had prompted officials to cancel early childhood programs operated by the Lawrence County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities and send home all 250 students and 50 staff at the Early Childhood Development Center, which is just a few yards behind the Grandview.

Assistant Chief Webb said he didn't know the cause of the blaze as the state fire marshal had not yet been able to conduct an investigation.

Webb said that battling a fire at the Grandview could prove to be more difficult that their standard call to a home or business due to the inn's sprawl.

"It's more dangerous because a house fire is one area, but this could keep spreading through the hallways, things like that," Webb said.

As of 10:30 a.m. the fire had not been extinguished, and continued to burn through the restaurant area.