EDMONTON – Residents of a small village southeast of Edmonton woke up Sunday to find all that was left of the community’s only hotel was a pile of rubble.
“It’s a huge shock. It’s unbelievable. It’s a very sad morning,” said Gurpreet Gil, the Edmonton man who owns the Ryley Hotel.
Fire broke out at the nearly 100-year-old building, in the Village of Ryley, around 6:45 a.m. Sunday. There were five people inside the six-room hotel at the time, but they were able to make it out safely.
“Luckily, thank God, all the workers are safe,” Gil said.
About 37 volunteer firefighters from four departments within Beaver County were called in Sunday to fight the blaze.
“When we got here there was smoke and fire showing. And we did an interior and deemed it unsafe at that time,” explained Regional Fire Chief Cindy Conroy with Beaver Emergency Services Commission.
Watch below: Ryley resident Laurie Cooper captures video of fire at Ryley Hotel
Conroy says strong winds caused firefighters a bit of trouble with the battle Sunday; water was also an issue.
“Water becomes a challenge when we have that many pumpers, of course we drain the water reserves. So we do have tankers on site from the neighbouring communities.”
The hotel, along with an attached bar and restaurant suffered extensive damage in the blaze. Those who live in the small community say it’s a big loss for the village of just 500 people.
“It’s an absolute shame that it’s gone. It’s kind of the hub of the community, it had a great business in it. We’re really going to miss it in the village,” said Ryley Mayor Lorraine Warren-Nimeck.
Warren-Nimeck has lived in Ryley for 12 years and says the entire community thinks fondly of the business.
“I’ve eaten suppers here, I’ve gone in and had a few drinks after a curling game. So some great, great memories. Lots of people in the community have had wonderful memories from this building.”
Gil and his wife bought the hotel three years ago and had recently renovated the building.
“We invested so much. It was the pride of Ryley.”
At this time it’s not known what caused the fire. There isn’t an official damage estimate yet, but Gil believes it will sit in the $1 million area.
More to come…
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