Crews battle major fire in Telegraph Cove, B.C. [Video]

The most iconic portion of a picturesque boardwalk in Telegraph Cove, B.C. was destroyed by fire on Tuesday morning.

Several buildings in the northern Vancouver Island tourist destination appear to be a complete loss. The whale museum is no longer standing, nor is a complex that housed several businesses, including the Old Saltery Pub.

“Those were the treasures, those things at the end of the dock,” said David Summers, Mount Waddington regional director for Telegraph Cove.

“This whole thing is a major tragedy.”

Firefighters were called to the coastal community around 5:30 a.m. They had the flames under control around 11 a.m. and continued to snuff out hot spots throughout the afternoon.

Early in the day, the fire department from the nearby town of Port McNeill posted a photo of the flames on Facebook and asked people to stay away from the area.

“People going down to watch is hindering our crew’s effort to extinguish,” the post …