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Hello and welcome to News Now. I'm your host, Taylor. And then we're going over this week's biggest headlines and what's coming up for the Flathead Valley. A three story hotel on Kalispell West Side suffered extensive damage in a structure fire on Wednesday afternoon that drew one of the largest firefighter responses in the valley in more than a decade.

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A plumber working at the Quality Inn on U.S. two West in Kalispell is suspected to have started the fire, according to Kalispell Fire Chief Dan Pierce. The blaze started in the wall and quickly …

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Hello and welcome to News Now. I'm your host, Taylor. And then we're going over this week's biggest headlines and what's coming up for the Flathead Valley. A three story hotel on Kalispell West Side suffered extensive damage in a structure fire on Wednesday afternoon that drew one of the largest firefighter responses in the valley in more than a decade.

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A plumber working at the Quality Inn on U.S. two West in Kalispell is suspected to have started the fire, according to Kalispell Fire Chief Dan Pierce. The blaze started in the wall and quickly spread to the hotel's attic. Kalispell firefighters were dispatched at 12:46 p.m. and arrived on the scene to find smoke billowing from the roof. Hotel workers and police were able to evacuate all occupants without incident.

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Pierce said the firefighters initially attacked the blaze from within the building, but they had to retreat as the fire spread due to gusting winds. Firefighters on the ground doused the inferno with hoses as aerial ladder trucks at the rooftop. The fire destroyed about 65 units, but the hotel's lobby, casino and restaurant were saved. Pierce estimated the total damage at approximately $4 million.

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A total of 33 firefighters were on the scene at one point, with crews and an apparatus arriving from Kalispell, evergreen, West Valley South, Kalispell, Smith Valley and Whitefish. Pierce said that due to thick smoke, firefighters breathing devices had to be refilled numerous times using South Kalispell Air Unit. The smoke also caused severe visibility issue along the highway that snarled traffic for hours, and electricity was cut off to about 2000 Flathead Electric Cooperative customers at one point while crews engaged the blaze.

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Once the fire was contained, a hazmat drone was used to detect hotspots that were then doused with water. All burned areas were coated with foam before crews cleared the scene. Noon on Thursday, Pierce estimated that it was among one of the largest structure fires in the valley in the last ten years. He praised all of the departments for working in unison during the rapidly evolving situation.

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Local Whitefish residents are increasingly at odds with the tourism industries impact on the city, even as visitation levels have tapered off since the frantic summers during the Covid 19 pandemic. Results from a survey conducted by the Whitefish Convention and Visitors Bureau last fall indicate that only 22% of respondents agreed with the statement that tourism makes Whitefish a good place to live.

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That compares to 54% who disagreed with the sentiment. The bureau last week presented the survey findings during a public meeting at City Hall. Survey respondents listed the tourism's most negative impacts as the proliferation of short term rentals, traffic and difficulty protecting natural resource as the top benefits for the city's resort tax revenue. The economic boost and a thriving downtown Explore Whitefish Executive Director Julie Mullin said the Tourism Bureau's goal is to balance residents desire for an authentic community while leveraging the economic benefits of visitation.

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However, she said the economic benefits of tourism cannot be overlooked as an important tool that, quote, keeps whitefish thriving. Mullins also noted that there is a misconception among locals that whitefish no longer has a so-called shoulder season between the summer and winter peaks. Data she shared showed hotel occupancy rates of 30% in November, compared to 70 to 80% in the summer.

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According to Mullen, some of the impact is from the recent influx of new residents, not visitors. The cost of living in Whitefish surfaced as a top concern among participants in the events. Panel discussion with local residents. Brad Thompson, who has lived in Whitefish for about four years, noted there was a sense of fear and animosity among his peers when considering the future of the city.

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He said, quote, people don't know if they can make it work here. Whitefish is on the map now, and I don't know if there's any coming back from that. He said a number of his friends have left Whitefish for more affordable communities. Brian Schott, chair of the Whitefish Sustainable Tourism Management Plan Committee, said they would use the survey results and feedback at the meeting to update the plan adopted in 2020.

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Kalispell City Councilor Chad Graham said Monday he expected an upcoming work session on the Flathead Warming Center's conditional use permit to be limited in participation and scope, saying, quote, it is a discussion with the City Council about the review of the conditional use permit of the warming Center. Graham told his colleagues at a previous meeting that neighborhood residents, particularly business owners, regularly suffered indignities at the hands of homeless people.

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He said this included threatening behavior, human waste and loitering. In response, he said he wanted council to take a second look at the low barrier shelters permit. Graham said promises made when council agreed in 2020 to allow the shelter in the North Meridian Road corridor, zoned B1 neighborhood business, had fallen by the wayside. Graham also proposed a public hearing to follow the work session limited to residents of that neighborhood.

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His April 8th remarks came on the heels of a statement issued by shelter Leadership, who said Friday that they welcomed a discussion of homelessness with the council. Graham told his colleagues that his call for a work session had been misunderstood, saying, quote, it centers on homelessness, but this is not a discussion about solving homelessness. It's a review of the conditional use permit.

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And are we getting what we were told we were going to get when we made that decision? It's really just that simple. End quote. Graham has said he wants council to look at five areas addressed in the shelters conditional use permit application materials, an increase in homelessness in the neighborhood, loitering, responsiveness and accountability on the part of the warming center.

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An increase in police calls, and that the shelter would serve the Kalispell community. None of those are listed as conditions in the shelter's conditional use permit. However, that document instead lays out items like occupancy restrictions and parking space requirements. City Manager Doug Russell told council earlier in the evening that he had set May 13th as a date for the work session on homelessness and related impacts.

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Let's see what events are coming up. Remember, you can find art classes, live music and anything community related by going to daily interlake.com/events and checking out our events calendar. Join for a Spanish English language exchange at the Columbia Falls branch of Flathead County Library on April 16th. Native Spanish speakers who want to practice English, and native English speakers who want to practice Spanish can practice speaking together in an informal environment starting at 3 p.m..

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World renowned musician Sona Jabari is coming to the Walk Hold College Center on April 17th. She is the first professional female car virtuoso to come from any of the West African Grio dynasties. Sona is reputed for her skill as an instrumentalist, her distinctive voice, infectious melodies and grace on stage. Every formance begins at 7:30 p.m. and on April 19th.

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Don't miss the Owl Prowl at Wayfair State Park starting at 8 p.m., hike the trails along Flathead Lake and find out what lurks in the trees. Each hike is roughly 1 to 1 and a half miles, and the event is limited to 20 people. Registration can be done by calling the ranger station at (406) 837-3041. Extension zero. The cost is $4 per participant and is free for kids 12 and under.

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Thanks for joining us. News now is a podcast from the Daily Interlake. We're proud to be the largest independent newsroom in Montana and the oldest paper in the Valley. Consider becoming a subscriber to support our work. Call circulation at (406) 755-7018, or go to the subscribe tab in the top right corner of our website. And if you haven't already, subscribe to our YouTube channel to never miss an episode of The Pod.

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Everybody stay safe and have a great week!