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BADDECK, N.S. — Arriving in Baddeck with his wife and four other family members, Claude Bergeron was the first to see the smoke.

“I saw the smoke when we got close and I jokingly told the others that it looked like our hotel was on fire — then we discovered that it actually was the place we were supposed to stay,” said Bergeron, a resident of Noelville, Ont., a small community southeast of Sudbury.

The small group, consisting of three couples all related and all named Bergeron, is traveling around the Maritimes after one of their sons visited the island and stayed at the Inverary Resort while touring Cape Breton on his motorcycle.

“We knew it was a special place and we were looking forward to our stay, but we’ll be OK, we’ll find somewhere to stay,” said his cousin Jacqueline.

“It’s the people here we feel bad for, it’s very sad to see something like that burned down — it looks like it was a very nice place.”

After checking in with resort staff, the Bergeron group was sent to the nearby Ceilidh Country Lodge, a satellite property of the Inverary located directly across the street, where they were last seen enjoying some frosty adult beverages on the balcony.

“We’ve just got to make the best of the situation and right now a cold beer sounds like the best option,” declared Jacqueline Bergeron’s husband, and van chauffeur, Clarence.

Meanwhile, as the Bergerons finally settled in for their Baddeck stay, Sheila Theriault and partner Ruben Tompkins were arriving in the Bras d’Or Lake community in hopes of grabbing a bite to eat at the Inverary.

“We stayed here two nights ago and loved it — we left Cheticamp this morning and wanted to come back to Baddeck because we just love it here,” explained Theriault.

“We’re shocked and surprised — this is very sad, it’s such a beautiful place.”

As they stood behind the yellow tape, the New York state residents surveyed the still smoking ruins where they had slept and enjoyed dinner and drinks just 48 hours earlier.

“It’s unbelievable — look, there’s where we parked our car and there’s where our room was in the main lodge,” said Theriault. “It’s very sad, but we will have some stories to tell when we get back home.”

david.jala@cbpost.com

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The renowned Inverary Resort, an iconic Baddeck property offering lodging and entertainment, was dealt a harsh blow after an early Thursday morning fire quickly consumed the main lodge, reducing it to a pile of smouldering rubble by sunrise. The above photo of the main lodge on flames early Thursday morning is from the Firefighters of Nova Scotia Facebook page.

The Inverary Inn, Baddeck, circa 1992. Paul Prendergast photo

Many aspects of the Inverary Inn were left untouched by an overnight fire on Thursday, including these scenic Adirondack chairs.