The fire at the Cochrane Ramada is out, 24 hours after it started.
There was little rest to be had for firefighters attending to the blaze with winds carrying on throughout the evening of Feb. 6 said Cochrane Fire Services inspector Jeff Avery.
"We kept flowing water until 1 o'clock in the morning just because those high winds kept flaring everything up," he said. "Once we shut it down, we did leave a crew on scene to check for flare-ups and crews ended up having to come back at 3 a.m. and then again at 6 a.m. for some small fires."
The fire broke out around 2 p.m. earlier that day, shutting down all nearby businesses and Westside Drive.
The peak of the fire, about an hour after it started, required a mutual aid call-out to crews from Redwood Meadows, Rocky View County and the Calgary Fire Department.
At one point there were 10 fire engines on site, including two aerials, with about 35 firefighters in total.
The cause and exact location of where the fire started has not been pinpointed as of yet, though Avery believes there's strong evidence to suggest it started in the top floor or the attic. The first signs of smoke and fire could be seen in the top northwest corner of the building.
"When the fire is in the attic space it's very difficult to put out because you can't put firefighters inside the building when it's in the attic," Avery said. "We required all the personnel that were there to help run aerials, engines, monitors and all that sort of stuff.
"Everybody there had a job to do and had one common goal — to put everything out — and we finally did that."
Some small fires did flare up again around 11 a.m. Feb. 8 as demolition crews uncovered hot spots, which then turned into active fires due to windy conditions.
Nearby Glenbow Elementary School also made the decision to evacuate a couple hours later due to concerns of blowing smoke causing poor air quality.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is expected to begin soon, once all of the water is out of the building and the structure is deemed stable enough to move around in.
Based on initial assessments, it's believed that the amount of damage done to the building, which is owned by Canalta Hotels, will result in a total loss.
While crews were busy battling the blaze into the wee hours of the morning, Cochrane was sure to shout out their appreciation on social media.
The crews were treated to free pizza last night courtesy of Lucky Penny Pizza and Avery said people also brought them breakfast earlier this morning.
The nearby Boston Pizza also kept their kitchen open to continue feeding hungry emergency personnel throughout the evening.
"It was so great to see the community pitch in and help us out that way," said Avery. "And most people did follow the word on social media to stay clear of the fire which helped us to do our job."
The few guests and staff that were at the hotel Sunday afternoon made it out without injury with the assurance of building and room checks from firefighters when they arrived.
"At this point, my understanding is that the building's fire system did its job and the safety protocols were in place," said Canalta Hotels marketing manager Ryan Semchuk. "So we were essentially able to get everybody out of the hotel without any sort of safety concerns."
The Ramada underwent interior and exterior renovations in late 2018 to renew things like furniture, carpet and painting, he added.
"We should have an idea in the next couple days but my guess is that we'll be closed for some time. I think we're looking at a potential total loss of the building, but we don't have the full report back from the fire department yet."
Semchuk said although the damage is severe, there is no talk of Canalta Hotels leaving the community at this point in time.
"We're definitely committed to the community," he said. "We do plan on rebuilding and renovating the property to get back open to the public."
