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motel |

THE HERALD - TERRACE HOTEL SUPPLEMENT

lee
laze 3

BY. RICK MUNRO

Forty registered guests avearing next to nothing
g and holding only. what they risked to grab when -
evacuating their: rooms, piled’ out fire. escapes or
the nearest hotel exit ‘when the alarm went off,“

call that is left today on the
Porner of Kalum: and Greig -.
Avenue in Terrace is'a ‘pile of.

smoldering — ashes. ‘and. a,

assive clean-up chore. -
“The-: scene was | almost

sickening after early. morning ©

ire levelled the Terrace. Hotel

Thursday and put total damage °

igures up to the half: million
Hollar mark.)

All guests were successfully:

accounted ‘after. flames rippéd.
hrough the building, leaving 51
alel suites plus the hotel's beer

Marlour, Red D'or cabaret,

itechen, coffee shop.and other
rooms in smoldering ruins: -

’ Firemen battled for aver four.
ours lo contain the blaze’ and

tin over 36 hours of duty after —
he fire was reported by a CNR °
Might worker at 3:05 a. m.
hursday.

“According to fire officials, : the
Na:nes probably originated .in
the coffee shop. - The source is
as yel undetermined.

Flames barely touched the
Ahatels east wing bul smoke and -

‘ater damage gutted the wing's

203 additional suites and left 40
people jobless.

: “Thé adjoining bus depot was
mamaiso affected’ by -fire damage °
and temporary passenger and

Bexpress Stations were set up al
the Lakelse Hotel and Legion
Auditorium. ° Weekend reports
say that bus officials have re-
established their stalions.at the
original quarters but that little
awas. actually saved from ‘the.
Mire,

In an interview following the
fire Hotel owner Augie Geeraert
- with saddened voice’stated that
insurance adjusters had not yet

- arrived ‘from: Vancouver but §
. that’ the: building | had been well &

insured: -

After flames. had. been
extinguished a handful of

depressed. looking. faces J

mingled with hundreds of
gathering. spectators. Persons
“barely missing their deaths and
others greatly feeling personal
materiai loss from the fire were

slowly recovering from their

- shock.,

‘Hotel | “Maintenance worker
:Don Wall had been sleeping in

_ toom 108: when he heard

someone banging on ‘his door.
Expecting a. drunkard in the

. hallway Mr. Wall climbed out of f

bed and made for the hallway,

Instead of finding a drunk he "

noticed flames and smoke

sweeping through the hallway. °

“The: only way out was

just lucky [ even woke up.”

Eyewitnesses al the scene. @

reported flames were shooting
up so-high that the sensation of
daylight was fell.

The proprietor of a nearby :

pizza parlor was just locking up
for the night when sirens from

arriving -police and fire --

department yehicles summoned
“him ‘Suldoors, E

‘through “the: fire escape and
down the ladder,” hesaid, ‘I’m fi

WEDNESDAY, AUGWoL z, Luz

- ‘The morning of August 5, 1971 will forever | live in

_ the mind of well-known Terrace figure August

(Augie) Geeraert and of those past patrons of the
Terrace F Hotel asa black and horr-filled day.