A large fire at Quaaout Lodge and Spa, an Indian-owned resort in Chase, BC, has spread to the guest wing of the building, according to authorities.
Quaaout Lodge is run by the Little Shuswap Lake Band, which is part of the Secwépemc Nation. According to resort websitewas initially conceived by the band in 1979 and established in 1991.
According to RCMP, emergency services received a call about a structure fire at the shelter just after 8:30 a.m. PST on Sunday. The lodge is located about 70 miles east of Kamloops, BC, in the central interior.
As of 11 a.m. Sunday, more than 20 firefighters were still battling the fire. Chase Fire Chief Brian Lauzon told CBC News that he believes the fire started in the hotel’s attic and spread through the roof. No injuries were reported. The cause is not yet known.
“Flame was shooting out of the ceiling. The whole third floor was, it seems, destroyed or at least half of it is destroyed,” said guest Dan Thiessen, who was having breakfast in his room when fire alarms went off after 8 a.m.
“I heard the fire alarm and it went on. So I thought, ‘Okay, something serious,'” Thiessen said. “I got dressed and went outside. That’s when we looked back and flames started shooting out of the overhead vents and we knew it was serious.”
Thiessen, from Kelowna, BC, was speaking from the parking lot outside the shelter where other evacuees had gathered. He said some guests were golfing at the time of the incident and were unaware of the fire.
We ran out of our rooms and hotel at Quaaout Lodge this morning near Chase, BC. The fire has taken control of the main section of the hotel room. RCMP is still searching for 4 people who they believe left in their cars. pic.twitter.com/RSEJjKDTV3
Toronto resident Joel Levy, another hostel guest, was at Chase writing a travel article about the region. He said a firewall on one side of the hostel prevented the fire from spreading to the lobby and other areas of the complex, something Lauzon confirmed.
Levy was having breakfast in the hotel restaurant when he heard the fire alarms going off. He said he managed to get out with his belongings, but some guests were unprepared and stayed in their bathrobes. One guest, according to Levy, even lost her wedding ring worth thousands of dollars.
“For most of the guests … it will mostly be things that can be replaced,” he told CBC News. “But in such a tight-knit community, this lodging offers plenty of jobs.
“That’s the biggest long-term effect. It’s hard to imagine immediate solutions to that problem.”
According to Thiessen, the fire began to spread very quickly because the hostel’s guest wing is a wooden structure.
“My heart goes out to the indigenous First Nations people and all that this building means to them.”
CBC News did not immediately receive comment from the head of the Little Shuswap Lake Band or the local Skwlax Fire Department.
Reference-www.cbc.ca