Mont Cascades resort closed after fire tears through chalet

An investigation is underway after a large fire broke outSunday morning at the Mont Cascades ski resort and water park north of Gatineau, Que.

Heavy smoke and flames were visible coming from the main chalet Sunday morning in photos circulating online.

The MRCdes Collines-de-l'Outaouais police saidin a release they received a call about the fire around 7:30 a.m.

Five different western Quebec fire departmentswere called in to fight the blaze, but the roughly 40-year-old chalet couldn't be saved, said Marc Sattlecker, fire chief for the nearby town of Cantley, Que.

Sattlecker said all the pine used in the building's construction made it highly combustible.

"Once it gets into there, it's hard to put out honestlyimpossible, actually, to put out," he told Radio-Canada. "And on top of that it had a tin roof [which] creates problems for dashing the fire with water from the top."

Closed until at least Tuesday

Police say there were no injuries, though one employee was affected by the smoke.

The cause of the fire is still unconfirmed,although Sattlecker said it may have been caused by an electrical problem in the chalet's dining room.

Foul play, he said, was not suspected.

"It's going to be a total loss, that is for sure ... I'm sure they're going to demolish in order to rebuild, but that's all up the owner," Sattlecker said.

Crews were able to prevent the blaze from spreading to other buildings, he added, as well as to propane tanks nearby.

In a Facebook post,Mont Cascades said the resort would be closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Sunday's fire comes only two weeks after Mont Cascades was evacuated whena man allegedly pointed a suspected long gun at an employee.