WICKLIFFE -- It's called a hotel, and travelers can stay there. But the vast majority of customers at the Mosley Select Suites in Wickliffe were long-term tenants.
"We had as many as six people in one room, some staying there for two or three years," says Fire Chief James Powers. "With the number of people in the building and the contents of those rooms -- we were afraid someone would die."
The State fire marshal began the process of shutting the facility down months ago -- Monday was the final night of operation.
Photos of several rooms showed caked on mold, pots and pans piling up in bathtubs, rooms with half a dozen pets, and many with hot-plates and cooking equipment that would cause steam or smoke -- so residents bagged smoke alarms.
"This is a hotel, but people are living in it like it is an apartment," Powers said.
City leaders say an estimated 220 people called it home, 40 of whom were children.
The owner chose not to speak on camera with Channel 3, but told our Chris Tye: "I have been cooperating fully with authorities, and all of our residents have secured other housing. Because there is a pending case, that is all I can say."
The owner had to forfeit his hotel operators license, and an auction will take place in July that may give neighbors a glimpse at what business will take over the property -- right off Interstate 90 -- in the future.
