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UPDATE- Alberni's West Bay Hotel destroyed by fire

No one was injured in a fire that completely destroyed Port Alberni's West Bay Hotel early Wednesday morning.
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Sproat Lake firefighter Jim Vissers battles the blaze in the bar and grill area of the West Bay Hotel. The hotel has been completely destroyed by fire.

Sproat Lake’s West Bay Hotel has been completely destroyed by fire.

The fire appears to have started in the hotel’s laundry room, Sproat Lake Volunteer Fire Department deputy chief Wade Hepp said.

Peak season hadn’t started yet and there were no guests at the hotel, so there were no fatalities.

Firefighters responded to a call of a fire at the hotel after midnight from an off-duty volunteer firefighter who noticed it.

More than 27 firefighters from Sproat Lake and Beaver Creek volunteer departments responded to the call, Hepp said.

The blaze burned throughout the night and gutted the hotel.

According to Hepp, the hotel’s owner awoke to the sound of a smoke alarm after midnight.

The hallway outside the owner’s room was already filled with smoke when he went outside to check so the fire grew quickly, Hepp said.

Firefighters remained on the scene Wednesday morning putting out spot fires.

The hotel was undergoing renovations in preparation for the upcoming tourist season.

The hotel was built in 1974.

reporter@albernivalleynews.com

~ With files from editor Susan Quinn