Historic hotel destroyed by fire
By Boundary Sentinel
Fire took the one of the oldest hotels in the Boundary region last night in Beaverdell. Witnesses say that the fire was noticed at about 2 a.m. and the intense heat took the building quickly.
Although there is speculation flying around the small community, the cause of the fire is unknown at this time. Local residents in the north end of town experienced a loss of power during the blaze.
Vic Randall, a volunteer firefighter on the scene of the blaze last night, said that the heat from the fire cracked the windows of the newly renovated Tamarack restaurant across the street. Firefighters fought the blaze for five hours using their pumper and tanker trucks to contain the fire.
Locals are devastated by the loss of the heritage building built in 1901.
“My heart just dropped,” said Rose Zitko, a Beaverdell resident. “It was a drawing card for Beaverdell. People stopped just to see the old hotel. You can’t really replace it. Sure you can build it again but it’s no longer a historical hotel.”
The hotel has been closed for the last six months but was speculated to re-open in April.
Video coverage is from the Castanet News website
Photos of the fire by Vic Randall; Photos from the day after by Tammy Shipton
– Click to enlarge and view
