A century old building in Seaforth will likely have to be torn down following an overnight blaze.
The Queens Inn, located at Seaforths main intersection, is only a shell of itself as of Monday morning after fire ripped through the third floor. Fire crews got the call around 11:30 p.m. Sunday night.
After ensuring no one was inside the old hotel-restaurant, crews attempted to limit the spread of the fire. They put out the flames, but the water they put out the fire with, and a brief but intense thunderstorm collapsed the entire third floor down into the building.
While it's too early to officially rule out arson, Huron East fire chief, Marty Bedard, says there isn't anything right now to suggest the cause of the fire is suspicious in nature.
Estimated damage is between $400,000 to $500,000. The owner of the massive building was not home at the time of the fire, in fact, he's away on vacation, and is now coming home to decide his buildings fate.
In April 2013, another old iconic downtown building was destroyed by fire in Seaforth. The towns only grocery store burned to the ground last year. It's since been rebuilt.
