Lethbridge Hotel to be demolished after fire

The Lethbridge Hotel will be demolished Friday after a suspicious fire broke out at the building.

On Friday around 2:15 a.m. fire crews responded to the vacant building at 2nd Ave.and 5th St.South, the City of Lethbridge wrote in an emailed statement.

The hotel sustained extensive damage.

The Lethbridge Historical Society said on social media that the Lethbridge House Hotel (later Lethbridge Hotel) was constructed in 1885 and was the city's first hotel.

Firefighters hosed the building down and due to extreme temperatures, extensive ice buildup could compromise the structure of the building making the area unsafe for public at this time, the City of Lethbridge said.

Lethbridge Police are calling the fire suspicious and asking anyone who may have dash cam footage from the area between 1:45 a.m. and 2:15 a.m., or was in the area prior to the start of the fire to come forward.