Flames level Ryley hotel early Sunday morning

     The Ryley Hotel was levelled by fire Sunday, January 19.

    Fire crews from Holden, Ryley, Tofield and Viking  were called to the scene at 6:45 a.m., and arrived by 6:57 a.m., a total response time of 12 minutes. Bruce Fire Department held back as the on-call station.

    Led by Regional Fire Chief, Regional Director of Emergency Management, Cindy Conroy, crews were on site until about 8 p.m. by which time fencing had been installed to secure the site.

    “Arrangements had been made earlier in the day for fencing,”Chief Conroy said.

    Smoke could be seen and smelled for about a 10 kilometer radius and despite above seasonal temperatures, sharp-biting winds made battling the fire difficult.

    Chief Conroy said immediately upon arrival in the early Sunday morning hours, an interior inspection of the structure was conducted and she said that inspection proved the hotel unsafe. A command station was set up… For more see the Jan. 21/14 issue of the Viking Weekly Review