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A contractor used an extinguisher to douse smouldering insulation Friday morning at the Strathcona Hotel, believing he took care of the fire threat before the old building went up in flames that night, say investigators.

Sparks from an electrical grinder ignited the insulation that then led to the 10 p.m. fire, said Edmonton Fire Services in a Monday news release.

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“Investigators with Edmonton Fire Rescue Services have determined that a fire at Strathcona Hotel Friday evening started as a result of renovation work being done at the hotel,” said fire rescue spokeswoman Carol Hurst.

The contractor at the hotel used a fire extinguisher after discovering smouldering insulation in the hotel’s attic Friday morning.

But 9:26 p.m. Friday, 10 fire trucks and more than 40 firefighters responded to the fire at the hotel.

Crews battled the blaze through the night and into Saturday morning as a large number of onlookers watched, hoping the historic building would be saved.

The hotel was undergoing interior renovations by Beljan Development. The Edmonton-based property developer said on Saturday it would work to restore the building built in 1891.

“We will work with all stakeholders to retain as much of the building as possible in order to ensure it remains a fixture in one of Edmonton’s premier historic neighbourhoods,” said Ivan Beljan, who bought the property last year and took possession of it in October, in a news release.

The cost of damages has not yet been determined.

dshort@posmedia.com