An investigation by Cochrane Fire Services points to the top northwest corner of the building as the birthplace of a fire that broke out at the Ramada about a month ago.
The area houses an electrical room which is where the fire started, according to inspector Jeff Avery.
Investigations into the cause of the fire remain ongoing.
"We had to send a few things taken from the fire to a lab to get tested," said Avery. "That could take months to get back but we're hoping that will help determine the cause which is unidentified at this point."
Cochrane's fire crews, along with Redwood Meadows, Rocky View County and the Calgary Fire Department were called to the scene on Westside Drive around 2 p.m. Feb. 6 at the initial signs of smoke and fire.
The blaze raged on for several hours and hot spots had crews returning on and off throughout the next day.
An insurance company has yet to determine what owner Canalta Hotels can salvage from the building, but according to preliminary estimates, the company is expected to swallow a loss of about $15 million.
One area they may see some cost recovery is the hotel's pool area, said Avery.
"It didn't suffer a lot of damage because it was enclosed pretty well, so the pool area they're trying to save for sure and that will be a big chunk of savings if they can do that."
While there was no harm to surrounding businesses or residences, the off-leash dog park located behind the Ramada did suffer some damage as a result of the amount of water that came pouring down from the hotel site.
The Town of Cochrane made the decision to close the park and said the overall cost of site remediation and clean-up will be paid for by Canalta.
Town staff are also working with Environment Canada to perform soil tests to determine whether the green space is safe for the community.
"You can still see a lot of debris from the park in the park, so that's got to be cleaned up," said Avery. "And once the soil samples come back and things are deemed safe, the town can open that up again."
Soil contaminants from the fire could include toxins from within construction materials such as insulation or tar from the roof, as well as treated woods and furniture materials.
"Right now it's going to stay closed and that's just for the safety of the pets," he said. "It may be an inconvenience but it's better to have a little inconvenience than have a sick dog"
