The Winnipeg was built in 1900 on the corner of Central Avenue and Fourth Street. It was still in service as the Winnipeg Hotel in March of 2012 when it was damaged by an arsonist's fire. In the early-morning of March 7, 2012 it was one of two hotels in Grand Forks, BC to be targeted by a 47 year old Grand Forks man. The other, the Grand Forks Hotel, burned to the ground while the Winnipeg Hotel was saved, sustaining some damage.
It is now in such poor overall condition that it is scheduled for demolition. The black & white picture was taken in 1913, the newer photos in 2013, just six days after the fire. Note the fencing around the building, as the investigation was still ongoing at the time.
Excerpts from one of several Grand Forks Gazette news articles on the fires can be read below.
Arson suspected in Grand Forks Hotel and Winnipeg Hotel fires
by Karl Yu - Grand Forks Gazette
posted Mar 7, 2012 at 3:14 PM
The historic Grand Forks Hotel has been completely destroyed and the landmark Winnipeg Hotel damaged due to a pair of early-morning fires on March 7.
According to Boundary Regional RCMP, police were responding to a report of a fire at the Grand Forks Hotel at about 3 a.m. when a fire was detected at the Winnipeg Hotel on Central Avenue in Grand Forks.
Christopher James Cusack, 47, has been charged with two counts of arson, which endangered human life. Police initially considered both cases to be arson due to the suspicious nature of both fires.
Grand Forks RCMP’s Staff Sgt. Jim Harrison said that while police are “tying up loose ends” in the investigation, they are still appealing to the public.
“If anybody witnessed anything suspicious or anyone near those two hotels around the time that we believe the fire would’ve started, if someone could come forward and give us information on that we’d appreciate it still,” Harrison said, adding that police have already canvassed the area.
“We’d like to put that appeal out in case someone was out walking their dog and saw someone (suspicious).”
Police constables first entered the smoke-filled Winnipeg Hotel early on March 7 and ensured all occupants were evacuated prior to the fire department’s arrival and then headed to the Grand Forks Hotel, where it was determined that all guests were safely out of the building and accounted for.
Firefighters fought both fires (arriving at the Winnipeg Hotel fire first) and while the Grand Forks Hotel was completely destroyed, the fire department was able to protect surrounding buildings.
Due to the damage sustained to the Grand Forks Hotel, traffic was initially re-routed around the Highway 3 and 2nd Street area in order to protect the public from possible collapse of the hotel wall but an excavator brought the wall down at around 11:30 a.m. March 7.
The firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze at the Winnipeg Hotel and damage was limited to the back of the building, although there was smoke damage throughout.
Dale Heriot, acting fire chief for Grand Forks Fire Rescue, estimated that between 30 and 35 volunteer firefighters battled the blaze.
From the Grand Forks Gazette