One person is dead and another is injured after a fire ripped through a motel in western New Brunswick early Thursday morning.
Woodstock Fire Chief Ricky Nicholson says the Meductic Fire Department received a call about a structure fire at the John Gyles Music Room and Inn on Route 165 in Hay Settlement, N.B., around 4 a.m.
Six fire departments responded to the fire including the Meductic Fire Department.
“There was an extreme amount of heat to battle, it was hard to get water to it, because there was so much fire,” said Brent Sharpe, chief of the Meductic Fire Department.
Police say about 23 people were inside the motel at the time of the fire. Most made it out safely but one body has been recovered from the scene. The person’s identity has yet to be confirmed.
Another person was sent to hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation and burns and has since been released.
Police say the fire has destroyed the office, restaurant, and bar area of the motel. Rooms located close to that area of the building are also damaged.
Sharpe believes the motel is a write-off because of the smoke and water damage that the building sustained.
He added that fire walls kept the flames from advancing.
“If that wasn't there, it probably would have been a lot worse,” Sharpe said.
As for the cause, it is undetermined at this stage. The RCMP say they are working with the fire marshal to get to the bottom of it.
The Red Cross says most of the guests were just staying overnight, but the organization is helping at least one long-term resident.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Laura Lyall.
