Fire breaks out at Simcoe Hotel

Police officers investigate a fire at the Simcoe Residential Hotel in Barrie, Ont. on Mon., July 1, 2024 (CTV News/Mike Lang)

Barrie Fire and Police are investigating a Canada Day morning fire at the Simcoe Residential Hotel.

Firefighters received the 9-1-1 call just after 7 a.m. on Monday for a blaze that originated in the alleyway behind the hotel on Clapperton Street.

"When we arrived on scene, we had an active working fire that was extinguished quickly," said Carrie Clark, Barrie's deputy fire chief. "There were hotspots in the building with the way that the construction works between the structures."

A video captured from a distance of firefighters tending to the blaze was posted publicly on Facebook.

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As McFinn's Traditional Irish Pub is on the hotel's ground floor, Clark confirmed that both were affected by the fire and that it infiltrated the pub's backside.

"No injuries at this time, but we do have 29 residents of the hotel portion that were displaced," Clark added. "We are working with Canadian Red Cross to have them sheltered."

The dollar amount of damage caused by the fire and its suspicious nature are to be determined.

Barrie Police's ident unit is assisting with the investigation, and the Ontario Fire Marshal has been contacted.

Clapperton Street was closed between Dunlop Street and Collier Street but reopened Monday afternoon.