It’s believed the fire that damaged a local hotel Friday night was sparked by a lightning strike. When the blaze at the Podollan Rez-idence on 99th Avenue was called in to 9-1-1, the caller said lightning had hit the building and smoke was showing.
When the Grande Prairie Fire Department arrived, crews found a fire on the top floor. Platoon Chief Steve Larsen says their offensive attack wasn’t working due to the heavy fire conditions, so firefighters instead went on the defence and poured large amounts of water on the fire.
It was brought under control by Saturday morning and no injuries have been reported. The building is still under construction.