Residents of Grimshaw say they are devastated after the focal point of their community burnt to the ground Monday.
A fire erupted at the Grimshaw arena around 9 a.m., sending thick plumes of black smoke kilometres into the air.
Fire crews from four nearby communities were called in to battle the flames, but witnesses tell CTV News the building was quickly damaged past the point of saving it.
Grimshaw resident Troy Lorenz says nearby homeowners were spraying their roofs with water throughout Monday to prevent the fire from spreading.
Two staff members escaped the arena when the fire alarms first went off. A third employee, the caretaker, was on his way back to the arena around the time the fire broke out, but couldn't get in due to all the smoke.
A seniors' home next to the arena and all surrounding homes were evacuated as a precaution.
"(It's) shock and awe," resident Doug Ferguson said. "Everybody's pretty disappointed because as any other small town in Alberta or western Canada, the arena in the wintertime is a big place to be."
Smoldering debris from the fire could be found throughout the small town. Some residents were attacking the flaming pieces with their garden houses.
The arena had just been rebuilt five years earlier after a windstorm seriously damaged the building. The community spent $1 million to rebuild it.
Town mayor Brian Allen told CTV News there is no question the town will rebuild what they consider the "heart" of their community.
"It was the pride of the community as you can understand," he said. "An arena is the heart of any community, but it was faily apparent quickly that the fire was out of control."
About 120 children currently use the arena for minor hockey. Another 30 people used the building for figure skating, as well as a senior's hockey team -- who lost all of their equipment in the fire.
Organizers say the minor hockey players will be transferred to the neighboring towns in Peace River, Manning and Fairview.
Bud Holder, who played in the arena when it first opened in 1955, said the entire community will feel the loss of the building.
"It's going to be a lost town without hockey in the winter months," he said.
The blaze also destroyed a lot of memorabilia being housed inside.
Fire investigators say the cause is still under investigation.
Grimshaw is about 170 kilometres northeast of Grande Prairie, Alta.
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