man charged with arson following lake louise fire that destroyed staff residence, displacing 165 people
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the charleston residence, near the trans-canada highway at lake louise, was severely damaged by fire on monday, july 3, 2023.
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a 40-year-old lake louise resident has been charged with arson following a monday fire that destroyed a staff residence building at a resort in the mountain hamlet, displacing 165 workers.
lake louise rcmp said tuesday evening that they received a report around 12 p.m. monday that the charleston residence was on fire, and there was a male on the roof “who appeared to be in distress.”
officers found the man on the roof of the charleston residence in possession of a weapon.
“officers deescalated the situation and convinced the male to come down a ladder, however, he slipped and fell to the ground,” rcmp said in a statement.
the man sustained non-life-threatening injuries, police said, and was taken to a calgary hospital for treatment.
following an investigation from the southern alberta district general investigation section, the man was arrested and charged.
timothy alexander peterson, 40, has been charged with arson with disregard for human life and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
police said peterson has been remanded into custody and is scheduled to appear in the alberta court of justice in calgary on friday, july 7.
‘some people have lost their life’s work in some of these places’
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the charleston residence is considered a complete loss after the fire. the site was still smouldering tuesday morning and was expected to remain active for the following 24 to 48 hours.
“it’s a tragedy,” said dan markham, spokesman for lake louise ski resort and summer gondola, which operates the residence. “i think there’s a lot of folks that are really feeling displaced right now. they don’t feel secure, a lot of people have lost their passports, their visas, some people have lost their life’s work in some of these places.”
in the face of this fire the village of lake louise has rallied to the aid of those who lost their home.
clothing drives have popped up throughout the community for those who escaped with only what they had on their back, while the resort has engaged businesses and community members to find housing for people as the busy season gets underway.
still, more is needed.
“we’re definitely looking for people that are displaced,” said markham. “most of the places we have right now are short term. we’re looking for anything within the bow valley, canmore to field, anywhere that we can be putting some people for at least the next few weeks.”
those with room to put someone up or other donations are asked to email markham at info@skilouise.com.
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fire adds urgency to housing crisis
the banff canmore community foundation has also set up an emergency fund to help respond to immediate and emerging community needs.
markham said it is unclear how long the resort will be closed, for the next three days for sure and potentially into next week.
wanda bogdane, executive director for the banff and lake louise hospitality association, said in an email that in a housing crisis, finding shelter is difficult at the best of times. this fire “demonstrates with an additive lens our need for augmented housing.”
she said the association has been in discussions with all levels of government over the past year to help grow the housing stock, but the pace is too slow “especially when incidents occur as we have no margin to flex against.”
landmark residence often houses 400 people during peak winter season
lake louise rcmp and local firefighting crews responded to the three-storey log residence off the trans-canada highway around noon monday.
video recordings of the fire captured from nearby roads and posted to social media showed thick, black plumes of smoke rising from the residence. the fire was brought under control early monday evening.
emergency crews evacuated the residence monday, with one minor injury reported. displaced residents were asked to check in at a muster point at lake louise ski hill.
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charleston residence, sometimes referred to as chucktown, was a landmark in lake louise.
built in 1985, during the peak winter season it swells to a population of 400 people and during the summer months it is a little less than half that. but in a village of 1,100 people, this represents a large source of economic and community impact.
billy keeling moved to lake louise 30 years ago to help coach skiing at the resort, spending his first winter in residence.
he was alerted to the blaze when fire trucks raced past the wilson mountain sports shop in samson mall where he works. he ran over to the rcmp station where his wife works and from there he saw the building fully engulfed.
“i was shocked,” he said. “i could see the room i lived in. it was there. and five minutes later it was gone. it was that big of (a) fire.”
his phone has been ringing constantly for the last 24 hours from the friends he made over the years, calling to check in.
markham described those living at charleston as a small community of tight-knit friends. some live there for a few years at a time while others rotate through with the changes in season.
“some of the best times in someone’s life was when they take off for a few years and go work at a ski resort and a bunch of friends that they have for the rest of their life, and charleston was the place that was done,” he said. “i think that’s the big loss. you know, bricks and mortar can be replaced, but right now memories are the things that a lot of people are holding on to.”
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keeling said many residents at charleston were customers at his store and others in the village. he said they are doing what they can to help in the response efforts.
“i’m just proud of our community, how the folks take care of one another,” said keeling. “i always say we’re the village people . . . to see the people pulling together is good to see.”
lake lousie ski resort is looking at options to rebuild, but first they have to get the fire extinguished and the land cleared.
a further update from emergency officials was expected later tuesday.
— with files by jason herring, postmedia
twitter: @joshaldrich03
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