An overnight fire has destroyed part of the historic Inverary Resort in Baddeck, N.S.
Video from the fire, which began at 2 a.m. on Thursday, shows massive flames engulfing the main building of the Cape Breton resort.
WATCH: An overnight fire in Baddeck, N.S., has destroyed a resort in the community with significant historic relevance. Global’s Natasha Pace has been speaking with members of the community, who say the building was the cornerstone of Baddeck.
READ: Fire destroys clubhouse at Cape Breton’s Bell Bay Golf Club
Diana Weeks was staying at the inn on vacation when she was awoken by the sound of fire alarms.
“When I woke up, to be quite honest, I was really sleepy. My husband and I didn’t know what was going on. We just heard the fire alarms blaring in the hallway,” she told Global News.
“When we went outside to peek out, there were some sparks and a little bit of fire coming from what appeared to be the pub area towards the back of the main building.”
Weeks said the couple was able to grab their luggage from their room, which was located in the main building, because the fire was minor to begin with.
“We did not think it would do this. It spread really fast and it started small,” said Weeks, who is also a reporter with CHCH News in Hamilton, Ont.
When they got outside, Weeks and fellow guests watched as the building was overcome by flames and began to collapse.
“It was crazy,” she said. “I mean, I’ve obviously covered fires before as a reporter, but this was something different because I was there and I got out just in time. We saw the room we were staying in, the fire take it over.”
Get breaking National news
Firefighters from several nearby departments responded to the call. As of Thursday morning, they were still on scene putting out hot spots as the remnants of the main building sat smoldering behind yellow tape.
Fire Chief Darren MacAulay tells Global News the fire originated in the kitchen area of the building, but the cause remains under investigation.
WATCH: Global News Morning talks with resort guest Diana Weeks about the Inverary Resort fire
The main lodge, which housed the resort’s main desk, restaurant, pub and some guest rooms, has been destroyed.
However, the other lodging areas on the sprawling property were not affected by the fire.
Owners plan to re-build
The resort’s operations manager, Matt MacAulay, says the business plans to re-build.
“We’re a family business. It’s been in operation for decades and decades and absolutely, we’re not rolling over, that’s for sure,” he told Global News.
MacAulay says the resort remains operational and he is optimistic they can continue on this season.
“All we’re trying to do now is collect ourselves and be there for our guests who are here right now,” he said.
“We have great plans to go ahead with every event we have this season. We’re still operational. We served breakfast to all our guests this morning.”
He adds he is grateful to the local volunteer fire departments that worked tirelessly through the night.
“It was amazing to watch them. They worked extremely hard and were successful in a number of ways and I just wanted to say a huge thank you to them,” he said.
A ‘cornerstone of the community’
Victoria County Warden Bruce Morrison told The Canadian Press he received a call at about 3 a.m. notifying him of a “big fire” at the resort, which he called a “cornerstone of the community.”
Morrison said the loss of the main building is a big blow to Baddeck, which sees hundreds of tourists trickle into the area every summer, swelling the full-time population of about 800 residents to about 2,500.
“It’s a very difficult time for an event such as this to happen right at the start of our tourist season,” said Morrison.
“Baddeck is a very busy tourist destination.”
It could also affect about 100 people who work at the sprawling four-hectare shoreline resort, he said.
According to the Inverary Resort’s website, the building was built in the late 1800s by a Cape Breton man to “show off the fortune he made in Boston.” The estate became the Inverary Inn following WWII and has been in the MacAulay family since 1971.
Weeks said she feels grateful that all the guests and staff were able to get out safely, but she feels sympathy for the owners of the resort.
“It’s an absolutely beautiful historic inn and my husband and I were just marveling at how beautiful everything was in there and old, so I just felt very sad for the owners of this historic building,” Weeks said.
Comments