Fans continue to air and dry out the lobby at one of Kelowna’s signature hotels.
Restoration crews have been working around the clock since Saturday morning, when fire erupted and forced around 200 hotel guests to jump out of bed and flee for safety.
Once the fire was out, the only visible damage from the outside was to the hotel’s signage. However, on the inside it is a different story.
There is significant water and smoke damage and crews are replacing the ceiling of the hotel’s lobby.
General Manager Gavin Parry says fire is a hotel’s worst nightmare and he is relieved no one was hurt.
Get breaking National news
“What was going through my mind is that we have to get everyone out safely. That is the bottom line,” Parry said.
The fire has been deemed suspicious and investigators are confirming there were not one but two points of origin: one in the sixth floor stairwell, the other on the seventh floor.
With the fire looking like arson, the investigation has now been turned over to the RCMP and is being treated as a criminal matter.
“That is certainly unsettling. It is in the hands of the RCMP right now. For us, it’s time to move forward,” Parry said.
The cost of the destruction is estimated in excess of $100,000, most of it water damage.
48 of the hotel’s 185 rooms are out of commission for now. And with the peak tourist season getting underway, the timing could not be worse.
“Timing wasn’t on our side for a horrible thing like this to happen. We’ve had a little setback but we’ll be up and running very shortly,” Parry said.
Other than the affected rooms, the hotel is fully operational. Staff hope that 20 of the 48 rooms that sustained water damage will be ready for use by the end of the week.
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.