Whitehorse, YT – A landmark Dawson City hotel dating back to the gold rush has been destroyed by fire.
The Westminster Hotel, known locally as “The Pit,” was engulfed in flames Sunday morning, with images posted to social media showing heavy smoke and fire coming from the three-storey wooden building as crews responded.
Dawson City Mayor Stephen Johnson said in a Facebook post that no one was injured in the fire but called the loss deeply felt in the community.
“For generations, people have walked through those doors and found community. Some of us worked there. Some of us celebrated there. Some of us filmed there. All of us felt at home there,” reads the statement. “Losing it feels personal because it is personal.”
The building had also been damaged earlier this year in a January water main break during a cold snap that flooded the area outside the hotel.
The cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed.
