Investigators were examining the remains of a landmark Port Alberni restaurant Monday to determine the cause of a suspicious Saturday night fire.
Only a charred frame of the Tidebrook Hotel restaurant, on the corner of Gertrude Street and Pemberton Road, remains after fire roared through the structure.
Port Alberni fire chief Tim Pley said someone had forced a door open and there was no power or gas to the building, suggesting the fire was human-caused.
The damage has not been assessed, since insurance adjusters have not been able to access the site, said Pley.
"It's going to be one of the most significant fires of the year in terms of manpower and disruption to the community," Pley said.
The Tidebrook Hotel restaurant is on a main thoroughfare and is well known in Port Alberni, said Pley.
The building was constructed in 1912 and lacked fire walls required in more modern construction, he said. In January, the hotel on the property also burned to the ground. Fire crews determined it was human-caused.
Jack Purdy owns the property, which housed restaurants before it closed in 2006.
