Prince Rupert Fire Crews Deem Belmont Fire to be Suspicious, Hand Investigation to RCMP

A fire which levelled the Belmont Hotel earlier this month has been deemed suspicious by the Prince Rupert Fire Department.

Sparking on May 1st, the fire completely destroyed the landmark, and caused heavy damage to the neighbouring Rose’s Oriental Food and Gift Shop.

Crews on scene were forced to shift to a defensive approach, as the fire was threatening to spread laterally through the aged, adjoining buildings.

Now, they have deemed the blaze to be suspicious, after determining the fire’s origin point was nowhere near any natural ignition points.

While it has not yet been flagged as arson, crews called on the RCMP to continue the investigation, due to the possibility of criminal intent.

More information will be released as the investigation gets underway.