A Mountie on patrol spotted smoke and flames coming from a hotel in the mountain resort community of Banff, Alta.
He notified the fire department and RCMP colleagues about the fire at the Mount Royal Hotel around 2:20 a.m. Thursday.
"Three RCMP members then entered the hotel, where smoke was beginning to fill the halls," the police force said Thursday in a news release.
"They activated the fire alarm and began evacuating guests from the 3rd and 4th floors of the hotel. All hotel guests were safely evacuated from the hotel when firefighters arrived to battle the blaze and prevent the fire from spreading to other buildings."
Banff's deputy fire chief Mike Geisler said he got there shortly after it was called in.
"I saw smoke and flames coming from the roof."
Geisler said there were about 256 guests in the hotel. No firefighters were injured battling the blaze at the 109-year-old hotel on Banff Avenue.
The guests were put on buses and taken to another hotel, Geisler said.
He said the fire caused extensive damage to the roof and top floor of the hotel, but couldn't give a damage estimate.
"I just want to express my appreciation to our officers who sprang into action early this morning and helped evacuate the Mount Royal Hotel, in Banff," said assistant Commissioner Marlin Degrand, acting commanding officer of RCMP K-Division.
"This incident will certainly have a big impact on the Banff community but I'm very proud of the way our officers acted decisively to bring the occupants to safety."
A spokesman for the hotel says the roof was under renovation and the fire may have started in the construction materials.
(CHQR, CFFR, CTV Calgary)
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