Historic Timberline Lodge reopens just days after fire

The historic Timberline Lodge reopened to guests, snowboarders and skiers on Sunday, just days after a fire erupted that forced an evacuation, causing damage to the attic.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The historic Timberline Lodge reopened to guests, snowboarders and skiers on Sunday just days after a fire erupted that forced an evacuation, causing damage to the attic.

Timberline’s John Burton told KOIN 6 News the reopening is already off to a great start.

"It's a beautiful day up here," he said. "Blue skies, no wind, the ski area is open, the hotel is back open in parts. So it's looking fantastic."

Although the Cascade Dining Room began offering breakfast Sunday morning, staff are still helping guests get around the repairs and the water remediation. According to Burton, there are also other issues to address, including cataloging and restoration of the lodge's historic art pieces and repairing the gaping hole in the north side roof.

"There are crews, as we speak, up there, dealing with that." he added. "There's an army of people. We're dehumidifying, just tons of cleaning and all that kind of stuff.

Nonetheless, Burton acknowledged the quick turnaround time from the fire to the reopening was, in significant part, due to the first responders who arrived within 25 minutes of the call. Furthermore, five different fire stations from Hoodland, Clackamas, Estacada, Portland and Gresham all responded to the scene, in addition to crews from the U.S. Forest Service. Then staff started working around the clock to clean up, make assessments and inspections and above all, make sure it was safe for guests to return to the hotel.

Once news of the fire reached internationally, Burton cited the noteworthy flow of support, stretching from Europe to Australia.

"We've been reminded of this tremendous amount of outpouring from around the globe, literally on people's affinity and love for Timberline," he said. "And it's been overwhelming and it's not lost on us."

Despite the road ahead regarding repairs, Burton remains optimistic that the whole of Timberline Lodge will fully open soon enough.

"We're through the worst of it," he added. "But there are some challenges ahead. But we're going to get there."