Fire destroyed more than 30 years of history Tuesday when a massive blaze ripped through the wooden-structure of the Mayerthorpe arena and levelled the entire building.

Plumes of black smoke and large flames could be seen from downtown Mayerthorpe Tuesday, as crews tried to gain control of the fast-moving fire.

The blaze started sometime around 10 a.m. when the first signs of the fire were spotted coming from the east side of the building.

"I saw a great big ball of fire come through those two doors, the lobby area," Mayerthorpe resident Gordon Desjarlais said. "It was a big bang."

Many people gathered throughout the afternoon to witness the arena being eaten by the flames.

Fire chief Randy Schroedr said there was little crews could do to save the building.

"(There's) lots of wood inside so a heavy fire load contributed to a fast burn ... virtually unsavable," he said.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

Arena officials said the arena is 36 years old and it has become the focal point of the town in recent years.

The Mayerthorpe arena has played host to the town's charity hockey games to raise funds towards the Fallen Four memorial.

The small town was forced into the national spotlight after four RCMP officers were shot and killed in March 2005. A large memorial to the Fallen Four was officially opened on July 4.

Kim Chow, secretary of the Mayerthorpe Minor Hockey Association, said the arena will be sorely missed.

"We use it for everything," she said. "We use it for hockey, of course, we use it for the rodeo in May. Our fair is coming up which we also use for calf roping and barrel racing. So it's widely used."

October was scheduled to be the start of the 2008-2009 minor hockey season. Officials said at they are not sure if the season can be saved at this point.

Mayor Doug McDermid said the fire is a devastating blow for the town, but vowed they will rebuild the arena.

"We're going to have to build something to ensure that type of activity carries on," he said.

No one inside the building at the time. No one was hurt in the fire.

Mayerthorpe is located about 100 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.

With files from Scott Roberts

/>