Fire ravages Hotel Lac Carling in Laurentians

Hotel Lac Carling was engulfed in flames Friday night.  (Stéphane Grégoire/Radio-Canada - image credit)
Hotel Lac Carling was engulfed in flames Friday night. (Stéphane Grégoire/Radio-Canada - image credit)

Hotel Lac Carling — a major tourist attraction in the Laurentians — was engulfed in flames overnight Friday.

Built in the 1990s, the hotel in Grenville-sur-la-Rouge, Que., was renovated about a decade ago, costing millions of dollars. It has about 100 rooms and several facilities, including a spa and a golf course.

Grenville-sur-la-Rouge Mayor Tom Arnold said about half of the hotel was destroyed in the fire.

No injuries have been reported, he said.

The fire started around 9 p.m. Friday, when many guests were staying there, according to Arnold.

"It is a big loss for us as far as a business. Hopefully they will rebuild quickly," Arnold said in an interview on Saturday. "It gives jobs to many people, and these people right now, for at least for the short-term, they'll be out of a job."

Municipal firefighters were quickly dispatched to the scene. Five other fire departments from surrounding towns and villages were deployed, including those in Lachute, Brownsburg-Chatham and Saint-André-d'Argenteuil.

Arnold said his municipality is also being supported by Mirabel and Hawkesbury.