Historic train station destroyed by fire

A piece of Alberta’s history has been reduced to ashes.

The old Bassano train station was heavily damaged by fire overnight.

It’s a major blow for the village of Beiseker, which was working on turning it into a huge tourist attraction.

“Unfortunately it’s one of those things that do happen, so you just have to pick yourself up and move forward,” said Fred Walters of the Centennial Railway Museum Society.

Almost a half million dollars had been poured into the project.

And there was still work to do. Now, prospects for a new museum have gone up in smoke.

Fire investigators are still looking into the cause of the fire and aren’t ruling out the possibility of arson.

The Bassano station was scheduled for demolition in 2012. But a group of people in Beiseker saw an opportunity and moved it 156 kilometers down the highway.

The 104-year-old building had not yet been hooked up to any utilities.