When Chris Ross celebrated the birth of his son in 2003 he remembers smoking a Cuban cigar at the Westminster Hotel — known affectionately as “The Pit” to locals in Dawson City, Yukon.
The pink gold-rush era hotel and bar that dates back to 1898 has always been a gathering place for the community, whether to celebrate a milestone or just enjoy a beer.
At about 6 a.m. on Sunday, Ross, who has lived in the community on and off for 30 years, woke up to a “giant smoke cloud” in the sky and walked from his home to find the landmark hotel engulfed in flames.
“I’m still in a bit of shock. This morning it was there, it’s always been there. It’s been there for 128 years,” he said.
“It’s gonna hit. There’s no doubt about it. It just hasn’t hit yet.”
Images and video posted to social media show flames and thick, dark smoke shooting from the wooden, three-storey structure as firefighters doused the blaze and partially collapsed building with water.
Dawson City Mayor Stephen Johnson said in a Facebook post on Sunday that the building, which felt like home to so many, has been lost.
“It’s hard to put into words what this place has meant to our town. The Westminster wasn’t just a bar or a hotel. It was a gathering place, a landmark of stories, a home for music, laughter, friendship, and the kind of memories that only Dawson can make,” he said.
Johnson said he’s grateful no lives were lost and noted that “losing it feels personal because it is personal.”
The bar in the hotel was damaged earlier in January when a water main broke amid a cold snap, flooding the building and the street outside.
Ross said it had been closed ever since.
Ross called the bar a gathering spot for the town and said people who didn’t know any better were likely to pass it by.
“It did look a little bit rough-and-tumble on the outside, stray dogs, little bit rough crowd inside, definitely dark — lighting wasn’t its strength,” he said.
“So people would pass on by, not really knowing what was going on and how warm and inviting it actually was on the inside.”
The mayor said the spirit of a place like the Westminster lives in the people who filled it.
“Dawson has never been a community that lets its stories fade. We will carry the memories forward, and when the time comes, we will help shape whatever rises next.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2026.
Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press
