An estimated 150 to 200 staff members at a Lake Louise resort in Alberta were forced to flee their accommodations Monday after their residence building went up in flames.
Alberta RCMP and local firefighting teams responded to the sudden blaze at the Charleston Residence, just off the Trans-Canada Highway in Lake Louise, at about noon, Mountain Time, and were still evacuating people later in the afternoon.
Videos taken from the highway show thick plumes of black smoke rising above the tree line.
“It looks like the building will be a complete loss,” said Dan Markham, a spokesperson for the Lake Louise Ski Resort and Summer Gondola, which owns the residence.
He said none of the staff members have been injured, as far as he’s aware, and they’ve all found temporary accommodation elsewhere. However, he said they’ve likely lost all their possessions. Community members are gathering clothing donations at the Lake Louise Inn.
Mr. Markham said the resort will be shutting down its gondola and restaurants for at least the next couple of days while they figure out their staffing situation. Their parking lot, which is where resort visitors get transit to Moraine Lake and Lake Louise, will remain open for the time being. Access to the rest of the surrounding area won’t be affected.
Mr. Markham said the resort employs around 200 people in the summer months, and about double that in the winter when their ski hill is open. Most of the summer staff were living at the Charleston Residence, but some of them were staying elsewhere in Banff or Lake Louise and weren’t impacted by Monday’s fire.
The cause of the blaze remains unknown and crews were still working to extinguish it fully by 5 p.m.
This year has seen a record-breaking wildfire season for the province, fuelled by above-normal temperatures and drought conditions. The fire danger rating in Lake Louise as of Monday is moderate and campfires are still being allowed.