Princeton Hotel Fire Report

The Provincial Fire Commissioner says it wasn't an accident.

A written statement from the Provincial Fire Commissioner's office says the fire was likely started by a match or lighter.

Commissioner David Hodgins says he suspects an accelerant was used to start the fire which destroyed the Princeton Hotel in April 2006.

He says the fire started in the hotel's basement, but extensive damage makes it impossible to determine the exact spot it began.

However, the hotel's owner, Steve Brodie, says he disagrees with the findings in the report.

He says the hotel had a fully operation alarm system which would have gone off had someone used an accelerant, but there was a 20-minute time lapse between when the alarm rang and when guests first spotted the smoke.

Brodie says he believes the fire was started by an electrical outlet in a wall between the pub and an office.

He says he has concerns the original investigator in the case was a consultant hired by the insurance company and not the fire commissioner himself.

Brodie says he hasn't yet received any financial compensation from his insurance company.

The hotel was considered a landmark in the Princeton area and was nearly one hundred years old when it was destroyed. Princeton RCMP consider the fire an unsolved crime and an open case.