An historic central Yukon landmark is no more.

The venerable Keno City Hotel was reduced to smoking rubble Friday evening after a devastating fire.

The hotel, which was first built in the 1920s, according to owner Leo Martel, caught fire early Friday evening.

Martel, who told the Star this morning he was still in shock, was having dinner with friends, including longtime resident Mike Mancini, at Mancini’s nearby restaurant when the fire was detected.

“We spotted a bunch of smoke coming from around the hotel,” Martel said. “The roofline was on fire.”

He and other residents rushed to the scene to see what could be done.

They began trying to move vehicles parked on-site, but some were frozen into the ground or wouldn’t start in the cold weather, making it more difficult.

Martel said he rushed around the building, and found footprints in the snow at the rear. He followed the tracks inside, and up to the third floor to a section of the hotel being used as storage.

That’s where he believed the fire started.

No guests were staying at the 10-room hotel at the time of the fire.

“I was living there by myself, and not too many people would have known about the weekly get-together at the pizza place,” he said. “I’m sure it was arson.”

Mancini said he spotted an “orange glow” from the windows of his pizza restaurant during the dinner.

“We realized it was on fire, but by that time it was fully engulfed.”

Since Keno City no longer has its own fire department due to a Yukon government cutback, the Mayo Volunteer Fire Department had to be called in.

“It took them 90 minutes to arrive,” Kelly Benson, a former volunteer firefighter with the village, told the Star this morning. “It was pretty damned hot.”

Alexco Resources also sent in a water truck. Firefighters battled the blaze until approximately 2 a.m. Saturday.

One nearby business, the Sourdough Roadhouse, was in imminent danger of burning. It’s located only a few metres from the hotel.

Benson and others were kept busy using a garden hose to keep it from burning.

He said the hotel was a “smoking hole in the ground” within 30 minutes.

Jim Milley, the owner of the Sourdough, was furious about the situation.

He wasn’t present in Keno at the time of the fire, but was kept apprised of events by his employees.

He blames the Yukon government for closing the fire department and removing Keno’s fire truck.

“As far I’m concerned, it’s all their fault,” he said in a profane tirade directed at the government and the fire marshall’s office.

Martel said he had been “having problems’ with a couple of people from the village. He didn’t identify them, but said he has been suffering “harassment” over the last few weeks. He was suspicious the fire was related to the problems.

Martel said he was nearly struck by a vehicle last week.

He informed the RCMP – but said little follow-up occurred.

Martel has owned the massive hotel, which he described as being 77 feet wide by 100 feet long, since 2006.

The original structure was built in the early 1920s, then expanded over the years.

“It would be a massive building anywhere it was located.”

He and his brother purchased it, and spent approximately 10 years renovating it.

“It was a massive undertaking,” he said. “A lot of time and money went into it.”

Parts of that original structure were built directly on the ground, with no foundation or footings.

He and his brother had the building lifted so that proper supports could be installed.

Martel estimated the building would cost $5 million to $6 million to rebuild, although he had no intentions of doing so.

“You can’t replace it,” he said.

The building was uninsured,” Martel added.

Without a functioning fire department located within a reasonable distance, the premiums would have been prohibitive – “even if coverage could have been found.”

This morning, he was waiting for the fire marshall’s office to arrive to begin the investigation.

RCMP officials had little to say about the situation.

“A scene investigation is being conducted today and we won’t have information to release until it is completed,” an email from the communications department stated tersely.

James Paterson of the fire marshall’s office could also offer little detail.

None of the department’s people had been on the scene, he told the Star.

“It’s being handled by the RCMP right now,” he said.

Yukon MP Larry Bagnell called the hotel “an irreplaceable and iconic piece of Keno-area history, and will be missed by all those who experienced its vibrant frontier atmosphere.

“I have fond memories of attending Yukon Chamber of Commerce meetings there, and fun that the building added to any visit,” Bagnell said.

“I can only think of the thousands of hours of labour Leo Martel, and others, put in to restoring the historic hotel so it could be open once again to the public.

“This is a truly sad day for the Yukon.”

The hotel was a central gathering place for locals and visitors alike, who would gather on its deck during long summer afternoons and evenings. The historic building was also known for its expansive bar.

A Gofundme.com campaign organized by Stuart and Ashliegh Gray has raised $12,980 of a $50,000 goal.

No one from the territorial Department of Community Services was available to explain why Keno City’s fire truck was removed.