‘It is devastating’
The main building of a historic Cape Breton inn was destroyed by an early morning re on Thursday. Firefighters battled the raging blaze at the Inverary Resort in Baddeck, which completely gutted the building that houses reception, rooms, a kitchen and a pub.
A large, persistent fire tore through a much-loved resort on Cape Breton’s Bras d’or Lakes early today, destroying the historic main lodge and with it one of the community’s main employers.
Councillor Bruce Morrison says he got a call at about 3 a.m. notifying him of a “big fire” at the Inverary Resort in Baddeck, a rustic retreat that has been a “cornerstone of the community.”
He says the fire left the main building in smouldering ruins, destroying a structure that dates back to the 1800s and housed the dining room, lobby, pub and some units attached to it.
It appears no one was hurt and everybody got out of the building that appeared to be fully engulfed in photos on social media.
Several fire departments in the area answered the call.
The 11-acre resort is located on the shores of the Bras d’or Lakes.
“I grew up in it,” said owner Scott Macaulay. “What can I say, it is devastating really.”
Macaulay said the inn was not at capacity at the time of the fire. Displaced guests were moved to other rooms at the resort and to accommodations located nearby in the Village of Baddeck.
A comfort centre was set up for guests in the resort’s main conference building. Breakfast and information were shared as firefighters continued to wet down the remnants of the fire.
Macaulay said the inn’s main phone numbers are already in operation and its computer booking system was expected to be back in service by this afternoon.
Diana Weeks, a reporter for Ontario’s CHCH TV, was staying at the resort and tweeted about her escape.
“Our hotel in Baddeck, N.S., is on fire and we’re all outside in our pjs. Good news is, it appears everyone got out safely,” Weeks tweeted overnight.
“So so sad. Just grateful we got out in time and grabbed our valuables… Such a beautiful historic building.”
Images and video on social media showed flames consuming the building, which glowed orange in the darkness. One video shows the whole building collapsing in on itself as flames poured out of the windows.
Morrison said he didn’t know the fate of a tiny brown chapel on the grounds that was donated to the owners by legendary Toronto Maple Leafs owner Conn Smythe.
According to the inn’s website, Smythe stayed at the Inverary in the early 1980s when he was in poor health, spending much of his time there in his room. The owner reportedly told Smythe that they were hoping to build a chapel when money allowed.
“Someday, you’ll have your chapel,” Smythe apparently told the owners.
Sometime later, Smythe died in Toronto and a family member contacted the inn’s owners to say that Smythe wanted to give them a chapel.
Morrison said the loss of the main building is a big blow to Baddeck, which sees hundreds of tourists trickle into the area every summer, swelling the full-time population of about 800 residents to about 2,500.
“It’s a very difficult time for an event such as this to happen right at the start of our tourist season,” said Morrison, who is also the warden of Victoria County. “Baddeck is a very busy tourist destination.”
It could also affect about 100 people who work at the sprawling four-hectare shoreline resort, he said.
The main lodge was built in 1850. According to the resort’s website, it was built by Cape Breton native “Millionaire” Macneil to show off the fortune he accumulated in Boston. Originally it was a three-storey house with a barn and wagon house made from materials shipped from Boston.