On Saturday morning, Great Falls Fire Rescue responded to a multi-alarm structure fire at the Greystone Inn at Central Avenue and 7th Street.
There were no occupants inside at the time, and there were no injuries. Battalion Chief David Van Son told MTN that the fire started on the first floor of the hotel, and a total of five fire engine companies responded because of the size of the fire.
The hotel had been recently purchased with plans to renovate, but none of the construction will be affected by the fire.
Ty Rollins, owner of Starry Night Hospitality, tells us since the purchase in October of 2019, the building has been vacant.
As far as renovations, Rollins has been working with Ballantyne Design Group of Fort Benton, but no changes to the interior of the building have been made.
They are working with the City of Great Falls on getting permits for what will later be a Choice Hotels franchise, with Rollins operating as the franchisee. The new hotel will be branded as The Gibson, and is scheduled to open late in 2020.
When asked if the fire will slow anything down, Rollins said that since the reconstruction was a total overhaul, the fire won’t be affecting them.
“It's not going to slow us down a whole lot, if at all. Our plans right now are to start construction hopefully by the end of the month or first of March,” said Rollins.
We also contacted Great Falls Fire Rescue on Monday to see if there is an update to their investigation into the cause of the fire, and there is no update at this time.
