Windy Point Inn destroyed by fire

A fire destroyed the Windy Point Inn along Highway 97 south of Mackenzie on Tuesday morning.

Mackenzie and District Fire Department personnel were called to attend to a fire in the area at around 7:43 a.m. Fire and rescue personnel found the Windy Point Inn engulfed in flames upon arrival.

One fire truck from Mackenzie responded to the blaze, with seven firefighters. One water shuttle, provided by a private contractor, also responded and a hydrant owned by the McLeod Lake Indian Band was used to quell the blaze. No one was injured as a result of the fire.

Emergency personnel closed Highway 97 in both directions for two hours. A cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

“There’s not much left but smouldering remains,” said Mackenzie Mayor Pat Crook, speaking of the structure.

The structure that housed the Windy Point Inn had existed in the same location for decades. Aside from the inn, the owners ran a popular restaurant and gas station at the site.

“It’s been there since before Mackenzie was built, actually. A lot of travellers from Prince George, Dawson Creek or Chetwynd will stop there for meals and gas,” Crook said.