Two firefighters in Oliver, B.C., have been suspended over allegations that they drank beer saved from a fire at a historic hotel.
The RCMP is investigating allegations that six kegs of beer were removed from the fire-ravaged Mesa Hotel on May 23. One of the kegs was tapped after all six were moved to the Oliver fire hall in the back of a private truck.
"It was a stupid thing to do on the part of the members," said Oliver mayor Patrick Hampson, who asked the RCMP to investigate after rumours started to swirl around the town of 4,400 people.
Mr. Hampson said that three members of the fire department admitted drinking the beer, but that others may have been involved and will be disciplined when the police finish their investigation.
Mr. Hampson said the firefighters paid the hotel's owners for the beer two weeks before the RCMP investigation was launched on June 9, but the actions are a breach of trust because firefighters are supposed to protect property.
"There is a huge amount of trust placed in the fire department to do the right thing. It's one thing to remove the kegs of beer, but it's another thing to open one of them. That's not an acceptable method of behaviour," he said.
The Oliver Fire Department did not return phone calls on Tuesday.
Dave Clare ran the Rumor Mill and the Crush Pad out of the hotel. The only comment he wanted to make about the beer was to say "they made a bad judgment call."
The really devastating part of the fire was that the hotel, almost a century old, is unlikely to be rebuilt, he said.
The building was underinsured, and the fire chief recommended it be leveled, but Mr. Clare said he thinks the main floor could have been salvaged.
The hotel was built in New Westminster along the banks of the Fraser River and moved to Oliver in the 1920s.