Merritt, B.C., hotel fire deemed suspicious by RCMP

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 13, 2025 3:43 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Police successful B.C.'s Interior say nary 1 was wounded successful a suspicious occurrence that broke retired aboriginal Friday greeting astatine the Comfort Inn & Suites edifice successful Merritt, astir 70 kilometres southwest of Kamloops.

"A important conception of the gathering was engulfed, resulting successful extended damage. Fire investigators and Merritt RCMP officers stay connected country contiguous gathering grounds and determining the origin of the blaze," Cpl. James Grandy said successful a media release.

Leo Charlie and his household were staying astatine the edifice erstwhile the occurrence broke retired conscionable earlier 2 a.m. PT.

"Everyone was sleeping," helium said. "All of a abrupt the occurrence alarms started going off. It was acheronian and past I started proceeding radical moving down the hallway yelling that there's a fire. It was kinda scary."

Charlie, his woman and 2 children, aged 5 and seven, made their mode down a occurrence flight to safety. 

He estimates helium saw astir 100 radical successful the parking batch who had evacuated the hotel. 

"It was beauteous aggravated not knowing what was going connected and having your kids and family, and astatine that clip of night," helium said. "The flames and fume was coming retired of the near broadside of the building."

Like Charlie, a fig of radical staying astatine the edifice were successful municipality for their graduation ceremonial from the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology.

He said radical displaced from the edifice were being sent to the Mission Community Centre wherever alternate accommodation was being arranged. 

Anyone with accusation related to the occurrence is asked to interaction the Merritt RCMP oregon Crime Stoppers.