Hotel fire in Oliver a total loss

Details are still coming in, but firefighters confirm a major hotel fire happened in Oliver this morning.

A spokesman with the Oliver Fire Department says the Mesa Hotel, which also contained the CrushPad Bistro and a pub, is a total loss after a fire broke out Sunday morning at around 7 a.m.

"There will be an investigation, but it's a little too hot right now," he says.

The cause of the fire is unknown at this time. There were no serious injuries. The hotel has apparently been gutted inside and out.

Fire Chief Dave Jansen says the building will be completely torn down due to the danger it presents to the public, and that sections of Hwy. 97 through Oliver may be closed near the hotel until at least 6 p.m. Sunday night.

Jansen says the Okanagan Falls and Osoyoos fire departments assisted the Oliver Fire Department to battle the blaze, which burned for a good five hours.

The hotel was a wood-framed, three-story building built in the early 20th century.