CTV News wins Edward R. Murrow Award for coverage of Plaza Hotel fire

Missing Plaza Hotel caretaker now named suspect The missing caretaker of the Plaza Hotel, which burnt down in an arson fire last May, is now considered to be the only suspect.

VICTORIA — CTV News Vancouver Island’s online coverage of a massive fire in downtown Victoria’s Plaza Hotel last year has won an international award for breaking news coverage.

The Radio Television Digital News Association launched the Edward R. Murrow Awards to honour outstanding achievements in journalism. This year, CTV News Vancouver Island’s coverage of the hotel blaze was chosen over other international entries as the winner of the 2020 Breaking News Coverage award.

CTV News was one of the first news organizations at the scene when the hotel fire first erupted on May 6, 2019.

CTV’s coverage captured smoke billowing from the hotel and reporters were at the scene when portions of the hotel collapsed.

CTV News continued to cover the fire as firefighters returned day after day to douse hotspots and sift through the building’s wreckage.

The Plaza hotel fire would later be ruled a case of arson, with the lone suspect being the building’s caretaker, Mike Draeger. More than one year later, police have not located Draeger and say that he may have perished in the flames.

CTV News Vancouver Island’s coverage of the fire was measured against breaking news entries from news organizations across Canada and around the world.

The Plaza Hotel story will now go on to compete against other regional winners later this year.

Earlier this year, CTV News Vancouver Island was the recipient of three regional RTDNA awards for best TV newscast, short feature and sports feature.