MALAKWA — It’s a major blow to a small community in the Shuswap. Monday morning, one of the largest businesses in Malakwa burned to the ground. The Skyline Truck Stop served the community and travelers on the Trans-Canada Highway for more than a quarter-century. It also employed more than a dozen people and now they may never get it back.
“It’s devastating. I’ll tell you, it’s most devastating to our staff,” says Lyall Hainstock, who owned and operated the truck stop for 25 years.
The Malakwa Volunteer Fire Department arrived within 15 minutes of getting the call just after 9 a.m. summoning help from the Sicamous and Swansea Point departments.
“The crews went in, it quickly got into the roof, we evacuated them out and fought from the exterior,” says Malakwa Fire Chief Joanne Held.
Fifteen people worked at the gas station, restaurant, convenience store and mechanic shop and now they’re unemployed. Officials say the fire started in an office on the second floor where a space heater was being used. The fire investigator says a problem with that or an electrical issue was likely the cause of the fire.
Hainstock does have fire insurance but calling truck stops a dying breed, he’s not keen to start over.
“I personally don’t want to rebuild but we may have to. Depending on our insurance; it depends on a lot of things,” says Hainstock.
But those worries are for another day, Hainstock’s immediate concern is his displaced staff. Some of them had worked there for more than 20 years.
One positive note in the truck stop fire is that everyone got out of the building safely and there were no injuries.
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