Alexandra Lodge, a gold rush-era landmark, survives B.C. wildfire

Alexandra Lodge in the in southwestern B.C. is shown in this handout photo. Shirley MacKinnon, owner of the historic Alexandra Lodge says the 130-year-old building was still standing after the fire had passed the lodge. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout-Shirley MacKinnon (Mandatory Credit)

The owners of the gold rush-era Alexandra Lodge in southwestern B.C., are celebrating news that the landmark is still standing after a wildfire came perilously close. 

The BC Wildfire Service said on Tuesday the “leading edge of the fire” has passed by the lodge, which sits next to the Trans-Canada Highway in the Fraser Canyon. 

The perimeter map of the Ainslie Creek wildfire shows a rectangular shape cut-out next to Highway 1, indicating how crews fought back the fire to save the building.

The service said firefighters are mopping up around the lodge and doing danger tree assessment. 

Shirley MacKinnon, who purchased the lodge with her husband Ken in 2021, said in an interview that the latest update is a relief as they have spent more than 4 1/2 years restoring the dilapidated building.

“Wind could change and things could happen, and so that the risk could come back to us, but at this point we’re in the clear,” said MacKinnon, who also received a photo of the lodge from firefighters. 

It was built in 1863, then refurbished a century ago, and MacKinnon said it would have been devastating to lose the building after their latest renovation.

While the job isn’t done, they hope to use it for vacation rentals, eventually. 

Before she and her husband were evacuated on Aug. 1, the lodge became a storage site for their friends’ belongings as they were forced out of their homes in Boston Bar due to the wildfires on both sides of the Fraser Canyon. 

“We spent at least the last six weeks wrapped up in the stress of the fire. If it wasn’t for ourselves, it was for our friends,” said MacKinnon. 

The roadside house has roots tracing back to B.C.’s gold rush era, serving travellers as they passed through, and MacKinnon said the lodge even hosted Prajadhipok, the king of Siam, in the 1930s because the owner at the time was known to be an “incredible chef.”

But the lodge fell into disrepair with the opening of the Coquihalla Highway in the 1980s, reducing traffic and customers.

Ken MacKinnon said when they first visited the lodge years ago, it was raining in four different places through the holes in the roof.

But the couple vowed to restore the lodge to its “former glory.”

Shirley MacKinnon said when they’re allowed to return home, they’ll check on a pair of mated ravens they’ve named Mister and the Missus, along with their three chicks, who have a nest above the lodge.

“They do know us, and we do put seeds out for them, so they come down bugging us,” she said. 

The lodge also has a fan club, with their social media updates always drawing hundreds of likes and being shared, Shirley MacKinnon said. 

She said she’s been overwhelmed with messages of support from people about the lodge. 

“We sure love this old girl and cannot wait to continue in our journey with her, and with all of you in our lives,” she said in a social media post. 

Ken MacKinnon said they welcome travellers to stop by for a tour. 

“You come out on a nice sunny day, bring a picnic, and we’ll take you down to our beach,” he said. “It’s 1.4 kilometres of private beach. Nobody else is there.”

The B.C. Wildfire Service said the Ainslie Creek wildfire that threatened the lodge has grown to more than 651 square kilometres. 

This report by Nono Shen, The Canadian Press, was first published Aug. 18, 2026.