Morinville hotel fire displaces 2 dozen people

Two dozen people staying at a hotel outside of Edmonton were displaced by a fire Sunday evening.

There is nothing suspicious about the blaze at the Morinville Plaza and Suites, RCMP told CTV News Edmonton the next morning.

A 911 call was placed just after 8 p.m., according to a town spokesperson.

When fire crews arrived, they found flames on the second floor of the part of the building that contains suites. In the daylight the next morning, the fire appeared to have gutted that section of the building.

In total, an estimated 35 personnel helped in the firefight, including some firefighters from neighbouring communities Gibbons, Legal, and St. Albert, who responded to Morinville's mutual aid call.

No injuries were reported. Morinville Family and Community Services and Sturgeon Victim Services are helping about 27 people displaced in the incident.

According to Ray White, a Morinville resident since 1973, the community also banded together to offer support. While a business across the street offered warm shelter to firefighters, White says local sports bar Coach's Corner put out a call for blankets on Facebook for the people displaced by the fire. 

"Within half an hour, they had more blankets than they needed delivered to the legion. So I mean, this is something that's going on at 11 o'clock at night and to show the community spirit that we have in this town. It's amazing." 

MAIN STREET EVOLVING 

RCMP fire investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire. Businesses that are attached to the part of the building that burned were due to be assessed Monday morning.

Until a perimeter fence was set up, 103 Street at 100 Avenue was expected to remain closed to traffic. 

According to White, the suites were added to the business in the 80s. 

"You couldn't get a room in here after it was built, it was booming that much. There was the big bar in there, it used to be quite popular with the young people. I know I frequented it myself back in the day," White told CTV News Edmonton. "It was a big deal. There was a banquet room in the middle. I got married there... So yeah, there's a lot of memories in here." 

Between Sunday's fire, a 2021 fire that destroyed the community's St. Jean Baptiste Parish, and the demolition of a former hotel, White said the face of Morinville's main street is changing rapidly. 

• Catholic church north of Edmonton destroyed in fire
• Investigation into Morinville church fire done, results won't be released: RCMP
• 'Looking forward': Morinville rebuilding burned parish brick by brick

"That [church] was around since the early 1900s. It was a historical building and an absolute beautiful, beautiful structure with all kinds of very nice things inside. And most of the town has been there for weddings, funerals and things over the years, so it was a huge loss to have the church fire.

"Now there's another one. It's kind of sad." 

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Evan Klippenstein