UPDATE: Band plans to rebuild fire-damaged Quaaout Lodge
Fire has destroyed part of an Indigenous owned and operated lodge in the southern Interior but the Little Shuswap Lake Band says it is planning to rebuild.
A statement from the band’s chief, James Tomma, says flames tore through the guest wing of the Quaaout Lodge early Sunday but no one was seriously hurt, thanks to quick action by lodge staff and area firefighters.
Tomma says an investigation into the cause of the fire and extent of the damage is underway and the band is working to support its guests and employees.
He says the 30-year-old lodge and resort on the shores of Little Shuswap Lake, just east of Chase, is an “engine of economic development” for the 347-member band and a cultural heart of the community, and will be rebuilt.
The lodge expanded in 2007 to include the Talking Rock Golf Course, which was rated among the top-20 courses in the country in PGA-Canada rankings released in 2020.
Tomma says the resort will be closed while the fire investigation is completed, but updates will be provided when available.
(Story by The Canadian Press)
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Shuswap lodge and spa damaged in major fire
May 22, 2022 | 2:00 PM
The Quaaout Lodge and Spa near Chase sustained major damage in a fire this morning.
The fire is said to have started around 8:00 a.m. and video on social media shows flames erupting out of the roof.
A large fire broke out at Quaaout Lodge and Spa near #ChaseBC this morning.
The cause of the fire is unknown at the moment. @GlobalOkanagan
(Video: Dan Thiessen) pic.twitter.com/YTeLSqqTQE
— Taya Fast (@taya_fast) May 22, 2022
(Taya Fast/Twitter) Video by Dan Thiessen
One witness and guest of the lodge told Global News, they had just sat down to breakfast when the alarms sounded.
Another guest said the fire started in the front section of the hotel rooms, destroying the third floor.
It’s believed everyone got out safely.
The cause is not known.
Quaaout Lodge & Spa at Talking Rock Golf Resort is located on Little Shuswap Lake. According to its website, it has 70 guest rooms and suites.
Little Shuswap Lake Band members initiated the idea of a hotel in 1979 to spur economic development.
Elder and former chief, William Arnouse, named the lodge “Quaaout” which means, “When the sun’s rays first hit the water” in Secwepemctsin.