"It's absolutely devastating to see what happened there."
That's how Winkler Mayor Henry Siemens is describing the aftermath of the Quality Inn and Suites fire that broke out late Tuesday afternoon, stressing how thankful he is there was no loss of life or serious injuries.
According to information released yesterday by Schinkel Properties, the owner and operator of the hotel, the fire was first noticed in the roof late Tuesday afternoon. Within minutes, black smoke and flames could be seen erupting from the central part of the structure where the pool and other facilities were housed. Winkler Fire Department, along with assistance from Morden Fire and Rescue, attacked the blaze into Tuesday night.
"Our hearts are broken for the Quality Inn team, the Smitty's restaurant team, the owners, the managers, the staff, everyone who now has to try to figure out what to do with an almost impossible situation," said Siemens who noted it was "scary" how quickly the fire grew. He witnessed the scene unfold firsthand, happening to be at an event at Pine Ridge Elementary School just a few blocks away, allowing him to make his way over as the fire grew.
"As we saw that black smoke rising, and just so much of it, I think the only real way to put that is just the great sadness that washes over you as you see this is community altering, and it's life altering for the people most directly affected," he shared. "It's a very, very sad situation. I can't even imagine how devastating it is for the Schinkel family and the Fehr family as they try to figure this out, and all of their staff not having a place to go today. It's a really tough situation."
Mayor thanks firefighters
Siemens stressed the important role Winkler Fire Department and Morden Fire and Rescue played in battling and containing the blaze, and how fortunate we are to have people in our communities willing to run toward that kind of danger.
"We're reminded again how important it is we have people who are prepared to run towards the danger rather than away from it," he reflected. "We look at our emergency services on site, our fire group and everybody else, they ran toward that fire. We had people on the roof, literally as the building was burning, trying to fight the fire and save as much of that building as we could. We're so thankful we have those people in our community, and that their employers let them go to do these things, and they are there to protect us every single day."
Now is the time to rally our support
"In the midst of that, to have our neighbours from Morden come and try to help us fight that fire, it reminded me again of how good a community we have, and how strong a community we have," said Siemens. "We're all going to rally around them, and we're going to help them figure this out."
The Mayor noted the hotel and restaurant owners will have some decisions to make once the investigation is completed, insurance claims are filed and how to move forward is considered.life-altering
"It's going to be key for us to be there available to them as they need support, and encourage as we can," offered Siemens. "It's a really big surprise, and it's something you can't ever really imagine happening. It just seems to, sometimes, and definitely that's a part of life. The goal for the rest of us, those that aren't directly involved, is to make sure we can be there as much as possible, because this is really hard. This is life altering."
Quality Inn and Smitty's were active members of Chamber
In a statement issued to PembinaValleyOnline, the Winkler & District Chamber of Commerce noted it is deeply saddened by the fire that occurred last night.
"These establishments have been active members of the chamber and integral parts of our community, often going above and beyond to provide excellent hospitality, dining, and entertainment experiences," it said. "Our thoughts are with the owners, management, staff, and patrons affected by this unfortunate incident. We are grateful to the emergency responders for their swift action in managing the situation."
Similar to Mayor Siemens, the Chamber also expects the community to rally around those in need in the aftermath of the fire.
"We know that in true Winkler spirit, we will band together to provide support to those affected," it was stated. "We encourage community members to offer their assistance as these establishments work towards recovery, and to the staff who may now be looking for jobs."
- With files from Connie Bailey -
