A quick thinking police officer saves the bones of a Banff landmark.

In the early morning of December 29, a Banff RCMP constable on patrol saw smoke coming from the roof of the historic downtown Mount Royal Hotel at approximately 2:20 am and immediately alerted the fire department and fellow officers.

With the halls of the hotel filling with smoke, emergency response teams jumped into action sounding the hotels fire alarm and getting the 3rd and 4th floors evacuated immediately, followed quickly by the rest of the occupants. Once everyone was out of the burning building, fire crews went to work putting out the fire.

The 108 year old Mount Royal Hotel is a quintessential part of Banff downtown core. There has been no information to the cause of the fire or extent of the damage as of noon on December 29.

Marlin Degrand, acting Commanding Officer of RCMP K-Division is very appreciative of the officers who acted so quickly, avoiding a situation that could have been much worse.

"This incident will certainly have a big impact in the Banff community but I am very proud of the way our officers acted decisively to bring the occupants to safety."

Corporal Curtis Peters, Media Relations Officers for Southern Alberta, Banff RCMP says it was very fortunate his officer was in the right place at the right time. Occupants of the building were completely unaware that anything was wrong until woken up by the alarm and the officers.

"It was good fortune he (first officer on scene) noticed the smoke and the fire alongside the quick thinking and training which kicked in to make sure no one got hurt. My commanding officer and I are very proud of them."

Fire crews are still on site checking for hot spots and making sure the building is secure. There is no information at this point how much, or if any of the hotel is still operational.