A Christmas Eve fire has led to the destruction of a construction site on Beacon Hill, and the fire could be seen by those in downtown Fort McMurray. The site was to be the future location of a hotel but after the blaze was finally out nothing was left but some twisted metal and a lot of ash. Two fire crews worked together for hours to get the fire under control and put the flames out. The blaze was initially reported soon after 7 pm on Christmas Eve, and by the time fire crews could respond to the report the construction site was already completely engulfed in flames. The last fire crew did not leave the scene of the fire until after 4 am on Christmas morning.

So far the cause of the Beacon Hill Christmas Eve fire is unknown, and the fie is out but investigators can not even access the construction site yet due to a collapse. The site fell into the basement during the blaze and it is not safe for investigators to go onto the site yet. Hot pockets are a big concern because these could erupt into flames if they are exposed to the air, making evidence recovery impossible yet. According to Brad Grainger, the RES deputy chief of operations, “If this was the summer time, it would be a lot easier to get in there. With the cold winter, it makes it a lot more difficult to get things done. The fire isn’t going anywhere. We have security watching the site watching for any flare ups and we go by every three-to-four hours to inspect it.”