Fire ravages hotel, restaurant in Winkler, Man.

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 30, 2025 10:47 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

Fire crews successful the confederate Manitoba metropolis of Winkler battled flames and fume for hours connected Tuesday arsenic a Main Street edifice burned.

Emergency crews rushed to the Quality Inn and Suites erstwhile occurrence was spotted connected the extortion astir 4:30 p.m.

"Yeah, determination was a immense fire. I conscionable couldn't judge however devastating it was successful specified a abbreviated play of time," said Martin Harder, who was Winkler's politician for 16 years and part proprietor of the edifice galore years ago.

He was preparing thing to devour erstwhile helium looked retired the model of his location and saw smoke. He went to spot what was happening and wrong the fewer minutes it took to get to the fire, things had worsened dramatically.

"The entity was black, and aboriginal on, we saw the flames that were shooting up done the roof, and the full centrepiece determination came down."

A Smitty's Restaurant & Lounge is attached to the west end of the 54-room hotel, but Harder said it appears astir of the edifice wasn't structurally damaged.

'The mediate is gone'

"The existent seating country of the edifice looked similar it was inactive standing, and immoderate of the rooms connected the eastbound broadside [of the building] were inactive standing, but the remainder successful the mediate is gone," helium said.

That conception contained the pool, several rooms and the kitchen country of Smitty's, helium said.

In a posting connected its Facebook page, the Quality Inn said all hotel and edifice guests, staff and pets wrong the gathering astatine the clip of the occurrence got retired safely. No injuries person been reported.

The origin of the occurrence remains chartless and is nether investigation, and the edifice volition beryllium closed for the foreseeable future, the posting says.

The Winkler Fire Department was helped successful warring the blaze by crews from adjacent Morden. Part of Highway 14 was closed to postulation to accommodate the exigency response.

"To support that occurrence contained was a beauteous big, large deal," said Harder. There are respective different businesses successful the area.

Guests with existing reservations are being contacted straight with support options, the edifice posted connected Facebook.

One of those guests is Harder's friend, who's headed to Winkler next week from British Columbia. Harder had offered him a country successful his location a portion back, but the person decided to publication a country instead.

"I got a enactment from him this morning. He says, 'Is your connection inactive good? The edifice is gone,'" said Harder, who besides had immoderate plans change.

"I was expected to beryllium determination for meal astatine 7 this morning, but evidently that got cancelled."

Aside from being a hotel, the Quality Inn was somewhat of a assemblage gathering centre with the Smitty's Lounge, which had unrecorded amusement galore nights, Harder said.

"The interaction volition surely beryllium felt."