{"id":676349,"date":"2026-05-17T22:50:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T22:50:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/676349\/"},"modified":"2026-05-17T22:50:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T22:50:15","slug":"devastation-in-dawson-city-yukon-as-iconic-hotel-is-razed-by-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/676349\/","title":{"rendered":"Devastation in Dawson City, Yukon, as iconic hotel is razed by fire"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Text<\/p>\n

Listen to this article<\/p>\n

Estimated 4 minutes<\/p>\n

The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.<\/p>\n

Dawson City, Yukon\u2019s iconic tavern, the Westminster Hotel, aka \u201cThe Pit,\u201d was destroyed in a fire on Sunday morning \u2014 just months after the bar survived a devastating flood.<\/p>\n

Fire crews battled the blaze burning at the beloved Dawson City community landmark for hours. But the building, which dated back to 1898, has now been razed. <\/p>\n

Heavy smoke blanketed downtown, and fire crews asked residents to stay away from the building for their own safety.<\/p>\n

Dawson City posted on social media at 9:26 a.m., saying firefighters were responding to “a significant structure fire” at the Westminster Hotel.<\/p>\n

“Please respect emergency responders and give them room to work safely,” the post said. “Those sensitive to smoke may wish to remain indoors and limit outdoor activity while smoke conditions persist.”<\/p>\n

There were no “known reports of injuries or threats to neighboring buildings,” the post said.<\/p>\n

For many in Dawson City, The Pit was more than a bar. <\/p>\n

It was the town\u2019s de facto living room, a 125-year-old institution where locals gathered and marked life\u2019s milestones. Its loss, coming close on the heels of a severe flood that had already forced it to close, has left the community reeling.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018Everyone\u2019s in shock\u2019<\/p>\n

Coun. Cud Eastbound, who stood in front of the hotel as firefighters fought the blaze, said they felt \u201cdevastated.” <\/p>\n

They said a crowd had gathered in the area, and that they had arrived around 8 a.m.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone\u2019s in shock,\u201d they said. \u201cCrews are on site, suppressing what flames are left. Large amount of community members are out supporting each other, giving each other hugs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AA crowd watches the fire at the Westminster Hotel in Dawson City on Sunday morning. (Chris MacIntyre\/CBC)\"AA man surveys the aftermath of the Westminster Hotel fire in Dawson City. (Chris MacIntyre\/Dawson City)<\/p>\n

There were gasps in the crowd as most of the structure collapsed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn iconic part of the town is gone now,\u201d said Matthew Wright, another Dawson resident who was watching the scene unfold. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Shirley Paraluman said the \u201cwhole town is grieving” the destruction of the beloved icon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a piece of history. This building is a history to everyone,\u201d said Paraluman, who\u2019s lived in Dawson for 17 years. \u201cI don\u2019t want to cry but it\u2019s just so sad, this [building] brought life to the whole town.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheBlack smoke billows from the Westminster Hotel, aka \u201cThe Pit,\u201d on early Sunday morning. (Manu Keggenhoff)<\/p>\n

Buffalo Taylor, Dawson City Fire Department chief, said the cause of the fire was unknown. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere will be an investigation later, right now we have no idea what started it,\u201d Taylor said. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Fire follows flood<\/p>\n

While The Pit was closed at the time of the fire, many Yukoners were hopeful they could return to the beloved bar later this summer. <\/p>\n

The Westminster Hotel began having problems early this year after city water mains broke during a deep freeze in early January. The hotel had about one metre of water.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jos\u00e9e Montreuil, manager of The Pit, said in an interview last week that it took about eight days to get the water shut off in January after the hotel flooded.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AA fire truck battles the fire at the Westminster Hotel on Sunday morning. (Chris MacIntyre\/CBC)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got it below the floor from the first day, but the basement is still full right now because of water. Now that the ground is thawing again, all of that other water is going back towards the building,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Montreuil said they were already pumping water and getting dehumidifiers running in the building.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen we tear up the floor to redo the foundation. So that’s what’s happening right now,\u201d she said. \u201cWe don’t really have a timeline because it’s construction in the Yukon, but we’re hoping July for the Tavern.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"DawsonDawson City Mayor Stephen Johnson speaks near the site of the Westminster Hotel fire. \u201cWe\u2019ve lost an icon in this town,\u201d he said. (Chris MacIntyre\/CBC)<\/p>\n

On Sunday morning, Dawson City Mayor Stephen Johnson watched as the pink building \u2013 that always stood out as a beacon for visitors, as well as a gathering place for the community \u2013 turned black with soot.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve lost an icon in this town,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just shocked. It\u2019s a huge loss.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article Estimated 4 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":676350,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-676349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/676349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=676349"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/676349\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/676350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=676349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=676349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=676349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}