Fire in Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise parking garage destroys multiple vehicles
An investigation is underway into a Wednesday night fire at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise parking garage that destroyed multiple vehicles.
RCMP officials confirmed multiple vehicles were damaged in the parking facility blaze, including several that were burnt to charred frames.
The fire broke out around 10:30 p.m. near the world-renowned luxury hotel in Banff National Park.
According to the Lake Louise Fire Department, eight vehicles were destroyed in the fire and another six vehicles were damaged by the heat.
The department's duty officer confirmed to CTV News at least one of the vehicles involved was electric but the first vehicle to ignite was not electric-powered.
Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise declined CTV News' request for an interview but said in a statement, "Our priority throughout this situation was to ensure the safety of our guests and staff, and we are thankful no one was injured. The hotel continues to fully co-operate with the authorities, who are conducting an investigation."
Some guests staying at the hotel say they didn't hear about the fire until the next day.
"I guess it's quite surprising. You'd think there'd be some information about it to the guests, I suppose, but (I) didn't hear anything about it at all," said Daniel McKeown, who is visiting from Australia.
Another guest, Aliza Beilin, who had a car in the parkade, says she heard about it from her guide while on a hike Thursday morning.
"As soon as we got back to the hotel, we ran, we got our car keys, we spoke to the front desk. They were really helpful. They walked us into the garage and our car was parked maybe 50 feet away," she said.
"There was maybe a dozen cars torched. One side was really touched through but the other was damaged beyond repair."
Beilin says luckily her car came out unscathed, but adds the situation was concerning nonetheless.
"It seems like burnt rubber. There's a lot of damaged cars. I think they don't even know whose cars those are," she said.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Mounties say it is too early to determine whether the circumstances are suspicious.
Chateau Lake Louise parkade fire on Feb. 8. (RCMP)
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