麻豆影视

Skip to main content

77-year-old Kansas man missing after hotel fire in western Newfoundland

The RCMP logo is seen in St. John's on June 24, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld The RCMP logo is seen in St. John's on June 24, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Share
DEER LAKE, N.L -

A 77-year-old Kansas man visiting western Newfoundland has not been seen since the evening before fire destroyed his hotel, police said Monday.

Eugene Earl Spoon was a guest at the Driftwood Inn in Deer Lake, N.L., police confirmed. The hotel caught fire early Saturday.

"We're continuing to search for him as a missing person," Cpl. Jolene Garland said in an interview. "We cannot say he remained in the hotel during the fire, and we cannot say that he (did) not. He's unaccounted for."

Spoon was last seen on Friday evening in Deer Lake, and efforts were underway Monday to search the burned area, she added.

Emergency crews began arriving at the inn at around 7 a.m. Saturday. Several fire departments from the area were called in to help battle the fire.

Stephen Rowsell, Deer Lake's fire chief, said the blaze was the largest he has fought in his 23-year career. It took crews at least 16 hours to douse the final hot spot, he added.

Deer Lake is about 400 kilometres northwest of St. John's and is home to about 4,800 people. The Driftwood Inn was in a large building on the southwest edge of the town, and it included a restaurant and a pub. Both were destroyed along with the hotel, Rowsell said.

Though the provincial Progressive Conservative Opposition said Monday that it heard from guests there were no alarms going off as the building burned, Rowsell said there were alarms ringing on the outside of the building.

"When we showed up, there were alarms activated," he said. "If it was from somebody inside that activated the manual pull station, or if it was the automatic alarm, I don't know, but I do know that there were alarms sounding when we arrived."

Police and the provincial office of fire and emergency services are investigating what happened, he added.

Chris Tibbs, the Progressive Conservative critic for fire and emergency services, called on the province's Liberal government to launch a "thorough investigation" into the fire.

"Serious questions have been raised about the safety and emergency plan of that building," he said in a news release.

Nobody from the hotel responded immediately to requests for comment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

A Toronto woman said the cost of parking to visit her mother in hospital, and later in long term care, for 15 months was a financial burden she feels she shouldn鈥檛 have had to pay.

Ontario Provincial Police charged an impaired Vermont man who illegally crossed the border into Canada and thought he was still in the United States.

The University Health Network is making masks mandatory as respiratory illness season ramps up.

A Quebec-based religion says Health Canada is dragging its feet on a decision whether to allow members to use magic mushrooms in their ceremonies.

麻豆影视 is projecting the New Brunswick Liberals will form a majority government in the province, returning to power for the first time since 2018. Leader Susan Holt will become the first female premier of the province.

Local Spotlight

A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.

The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.

A Moncton, N.B., home has been donated to the Friends of The Moncton Hospital Foundation and will be transformed into a resource hub for people living with cancer.

A Nova Scotia man crossing Canada on foot is passing through southwestern Ontario. Trevor Redmond is perhaps better known as the 鈥楩ellow in Yellow.鈥

John Cantin vividly remembers opening day for his Victoria diner. Stress levels were high, tables were full, and one of the most popular menu items couldn鈥檛 be freed from the unyielding grip of the waffle maker.

A Manitoba professor is warning the public after a book on regional mushrooms that he suspects is AI-generated was delisted from Amazon.

A B.C. judge has issued a decision in a years-long dispute between neighbours that began with a noise complaint over barking dogs, crowing roosters and quacking ducks 鈥 awarding $15,000 in damages to the plaintiffs in the case.

Stay Connected