Social hub of Alberta town to be rebuilt following ruinous fire

An Alberta town's "social centre" was destroyed by fire Tuesday morning but it will replaced, says its owner.

Firefighters in Bentley, Alta., answered a 1 a.m. call to the Monkey Top Saloon — located in the heart of the commercial strip in the community of 1,000 — where they found heavy smoke and fire coming from the structure, which had been standing for more than a century.

Ian McLaren, the Bentley district fire chief, told CTV News Edmonton by the time his crew arrived at the scene, it was too dangerous to enter the structure, which sported old-fashioned wood siding and had recently been extensively renovated, "so we went into defensive operations pretty quick."

McLaren said the cause of the fire hasn't yet been determined.

The owners of the Monkey Top declined an interview with CTV News Edmonton but said on Facebook they plan to rebuild it, which is welcome news to Bentley Mayor Greg Rathjen.

"It's been such a positive thing in our community," Rathjen said of the saloon, which opened in 1993 in the edifice that itself replaced the original Putland and Thorp building following a 1919 fire.

"Fires take things away but we can put them back and everybody is safe, and that’s the most important thing," Rathjen told CTV News Edmonton.

The Monkey Top Saloon in Bentley, Alta., on Jan. 16, 2024. The town's social hub caught fire fire overnight. (Miriam Valdes-Carletti/CTV News Edmonton)McLaren said he expects the saloon will reclaim its role as the community hub once it's rebuilt.

"It's the social centre of Bentley, has been for a long, long time," he said, adding that the spot is popular with bikers in the summer and snowmobilers in the winter. "Best wing night in Alberta, Wednesdays and Thursday nights."

The Bentley fire crew, which received help from fellow fire departments in nearby Lacombe, Blackfalds and Eckville to battle the blaze, is working to preserve the character of what's still standing and its many mementos.

"There's a lot of character in this restaurant," McLaren said, referencing wall hangings and pieces of carved art. "There's lots of memorabilia that we're trying to see if we can save for them."

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Miriam Valdes-Carletti