Charges are pending in connection with the two fires in Faro late Tuesday night.

The blazes destroyed an apartment building and caused significant damage to the Faro Hotel.

Faro RCMP Const. Cameron Long confirmed that two male and two female youth between the ages of 12 and 16 have been identified as part of the arson investigation. Charges are pending, but haven't formally been laid yet.

Close to midnight Tuesday, Faro's volunteer fire crew members were summoned to the abandoned hotel and the apartment building behind it.

The blaze in the hotel was extinguished fairly quickly, but the fire in the empty apartment structure lit up the sky.

Long said the investigation into both fires is continuing, but it would appear the blaze was ignited with paper.

Firefighters and emergency crews were on the scene for more than five hours putting out the apartment fire.

Ambulance worker Cyndy Bekk said though there was still part of the structure left after the blaze, it will likely have to be bulldozed.

Bekk and others in the community praised its residents for the effort made to put out the fire.

Many residents who aren't part of the fire department assisted with some of the smaller details so the firefighters could focus on the task at hand, it was noted by more than one Faro resident.

Murray Hampton, a part owner of the apartment building and manager of Faro Real Estate, said there are no current plans for the vacated building.

It had been used as an accommodation from time to time for people coming into town for things like the Farrago Music Festival or sports competitions.

'There were no immediate plans. It was just part of our inventory,' Hampton said.

With two other apartment buildings on the property, he added, there will still be places for people to stay when there are events in the community.

'It's totalled,' Hampton said of the building itself.

The hotel is still owned by a corporation that was in the community when the nearby Anvil Range Mining Corp. lead-zinc mine was in operation.

However, taxes haven't been paid in years, and the town is looking at taking action for possession of the building, said Hermann Minderlein, Faro's chief administrative officer.

The fire in the hotel was small and caused some damage. However, there are also existing structural problems to the building affectionately known as the 'Tiltin' Hilton' by locals, said Minderlain.

'It is a bit of a mess,' he commented about the structure built on permafrost.

The Faro-area mine began production in 1969 under Cyprus Anvil Mining Corp.'s management. It operated until 1998, with several prolonged closures.

See commentary, photo, p. 17.