Melville, SK fire destroys historic hotel

A fire this morning destroyed a hotel in downtown Melville Wednesday morning.

Around 9 a.m. a fire began in the kitchen area of the King George Hotel. Melville and Yorkton Fire Departments responded to the scene. The blaze quickly over took the building, which has since collapsed. No other buildings in the area caught fire but several down wind from the blaze suffered extensive smoke damage.

At times several hundred people watched the scene unfold. The atmosphere was described as sad.

Originally built as the Windsor Hotel in 1909, it was taken over by new owners only a few weeks ago who were planning on doing renovations. The building was one of the most prominent buildings in Melville. The fire has left a space in the downtown area. Residents speculate it will be a challenge to rebuild a hotel in the same area because it will cost millions of dollars to replace the old one.