The cause of a fire at the Travelodge in Wasaga Beach is still under investigation but fire chief Mike McWilliam says “there is no cause for suspicion.”
Fire erupted at the hotel on Friday night just after 8 p.m.
“I grabbed my phone, I grabbed my car keys, and as soon as I walked outside, it was billowing. I ran across the street, and watched it unfold,” says Edward Tonelli, who was staying at the hotel.
Viewer video shows the fire raging inside a second floor apartment. A cement fire wall helped to slow the spread of the fire, but high winds fanned the blaze.
“The wind conditions were certainly a challenge for us. We had wind gusts upward of 50 kilometres per hour, probably 70 kilometres per hour, which creates a very difficult situation when you are firefighting,” says Wasaga Beach fire chief Mike McWilliam.
Firefighters from Collingwood and Clearview were also called in to help get the intense flames under control.
Most of the building has been spared, but there is extensive smoke and water damage to the in one end of the hotel.
The total amount of damage is pegged at about $1.5 million.
Travelodge’s owner, John Curtosi, says he’s committed to Wasaga Beach and vows to rebuild.
“We are hoping our insurance will allow us to rebuild something even better, but we definitely want to rebuild,” he says.
No one was injured in the fire.
