Waterton Lakes' Kilmorey Lodge destroyed by fire

Calgary Herald:
"The Kilmorey Lodge, one of Alberta's most historic buildings and an icon of Waterton Lakes National Park, was destroyed this morning by a fire.
Four guests - a couple from Montana and a couple from Calgary, staying in separate rooms - were evacuated safely by the lodge's night auditor, who discovered the fire on the main floor at 3:45 a.m., said owner Locklynn Craig.
"It's a beautiful building. I could not believe it. I am stunned," Craig told the Herald.
The nearly 90-year-old log structure, which pre-dates Waterton's historic Prince of Wales Hotel, was "engulfed and burning to the ground within one hour," he said.
The cause of the fire is not known.
One of the original buildings in Waterton, the lodge was granted a lease within the park in 1911. Within 10 years, it had established itself as an eight-room boarding house on Emerald Bay with a reputation for fine food.
Tuesday’s fire is not the first the hotel has suffered: it burned down in 1933 but was rebuilt. It was also expanded in 1934.
"I am very, very sad," said Craig, who has owned the lodge for three years. "I love the Kilmorey Lodge. It is the icon, in my view, of Waterton."
Park superintendent Rod Blair says the community is feeling the loss of the legendary landmark.
“It’s a huge blow to the community and to the area and the people who have stayed there over the life of the building,” said Blair.
The Montana guests were "a little shaken" and departed for home, Craig said. The Calgary guests were moved across the street to the Crandell Mountain Lodge, which Craig also owns.
In the winter, the Kilmorey Lodge's Lamp Post dining room is the only restaurant in town. Craig hopes to have a temporary Lamp Post dining room at Wateron Lakes Lodge by Friday.
Craig says he hopes to rebuild Kilmorey in its orginal style.
"Our current thought is to try and build a replica."
Firefighters have not released the cause of the fire yet and are still investigating."