Fire destroys hotel under construction in Bradford
Flames could be seen from Highway 400
A pile of debris is what’s left of a six-storey hotel that was under construction in the area of Highway 400 and County Road 88.
Bradford West Gwillimbury Fire Chief Jim Kay tells Barrie 360 crews were called to Stirling Crescent on the west side of Highway 400 at County Road 88, near Side Road 5, around 12:30 Saturday morning and found the building in flames.
The Ontario Provincial Police tweeted that Highway 400 was open through the area despite the fire, but access to County Road 88 was blocked.
Update #2 Fire at #HWY400 at #HWY 88. pic.twitter.com/Ok64tZbYXk
— OPP Highway Safety Division (@OPP_HSD) April 10, 2021
Kay said the blaze ignited a half-kilometre long grass fire that crews also had to deal with.
“Other than concrete stairwells, the entire construction was made of wood, with no safety systems installed yet,” added the fire chief.
Kay doesn’t believe the fire is suspicious and noted there are a number of possible ignition sources, as there were propane heaters and other items on the property that a person would normally find at a construction site.
At the height of the blaze, there were 50 firefighters on scene and mutual aid was called in from New Tecumseth.
Banner picture provided: South Simcoe Police