(Michael Joel-Hansen/paNOW Staff)

By Glenn Hicks

hotel fire

Investigation into Christopher Lake fire continues

Mar 14, 2019 | 5:02 PM

The cause of the fire that destroyed the Christopher Lake Heritage Hotel and Bar last week remains under investigation.

On March 8, firefighters from two rural departments were unable to save the 62-year-old building, primarily because of challenges with the wind and the size of the structure. A witness who called the fire in said the blaze, which spread very quickly, appeared to have started in the kitchen area.

“We’re investigating in conjunction with the Fire Commissioner’s office,” RCMP Cpl. Rob King told paNOW.
“[That’s] to determine if there is evidence to make the Fire Commissioner and the RCMP believe it is an arson.”

King could not say if there was anything to suggest foul play.

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“Even though it has been a week it’s still in the preliminary stages of the actual fire scene investigation,” King explained. “So, until that part of the investigation is complete and determinations are made … the RCMP is waiting for [the Fire Commissioner] to determine whether or not it was an arson before we would proceed with a criminal investigation.”

The owner of the property said he was devastated by the loss and had spent a lot of time and effort renovating the landmark site.

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glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow